Retrovirus
by AugustinianFrog
Summary: Some mysteries and questions are better left buried. Now, an Asari Spectre and her rag tag crew must contain something they cannot see in a race against time. Constructive criticism for upcoming sequel would be appreciated.
1. Prologue

_I remember the words of the Matriarch I served with. There were many wise matrons and peers to listen to then. I paid attention when I wanted; however, the Matriarch, my own mother, knew what really caught my fancy. I was always searching the night sky, knowing that beyond them were adventures far beyond my imagination. I did not stick around a second longer than I needed to. When I traveled on my first mass relay I had little clue what I was going to do. I did know; however, that I wanted to travel them all..._

_Among my people, I was never that significant. I was just like every other soldier. Enlisted in the mandatory service at age fifteen. Rose the ranks at a reasonable pace and did what I had to do. I had no clue that some of the people I would meet would be more than just comrades and commanders. Sure, I knew I would meet a few people who would be close. I just never realized how long they would stick around in my worse firefights..._

_When I was younger I was so fascinated with everything, the land, mountains, trees, streams, rivers, my own kind and perhaps even that which transcends us all. Sooner or later, I had to look up at the night sky and realized that it too had to be crossed and explored. My mother and father raised me well. Perhaps I never had a reason to question who I was, it was just a matter of what I would do. I looked to the heavens, and wondered what that exact thing was. I always knew, in the starry lights that lit the twilight, that no matter what it was, it would be somewhere up there..._

_I don't remember much from my younger days. All I knew was that where I was born and raised, it was far from home. Journey after journey, it never ended. Life has been one long trip for me. You know how you meet interesting people every time you take a long trip? I've been doing that all my life. The problem is that you start to wonder about a place called "home." You also start to wonder about these people called "family." I always wondered when I would find home, and finally meet this "family." I would look around all the time, see the vast darkness, the countless glowing lights around me and I could not help but cry at times because in such a big, dark galaxy, I was all alone..._

It was like any other day at the manufacturing and research facility. The robotic machines relentlessly pounded out and fabricated the materials before them, hammering together the parts they were programmed to do. A handful of technicians, mostly humans and Salarians, oversaw the controls. Posted in various intervals along the length of the plant were armed guards, hired mercenaries to stand watch over the facility. Normally, the company would not worry about hiring them, but there were close to the danger of the Terminus System. Considering the distance, mercenaries would be considered a good investment for the general safety of the facility. Although they were still in the safety of Council Space, the closer one got to the Terminus system, the closer dance they played on a razor's edge. Compared to the Council Space, the Terminus system was a chaotic entity. The only thing that would unite the Terminus was a perceived invasion by Council forces, something that the Council always tried to avoid, even to the point of appeasement. In this case, it usually meant letting a few raids by Terminus space go unresisted. Established bases that got hit were on their own.

Because of this policy of open appeasement, this particular manufacturing and research facility was soon obliterated. The day may have started like any other, but out of nowhere, explosions ripped through the walls of the facility, armed pirates or mercenaries, it did not matter which, stormed into the building. Few technicians were able to escape with their lives while the hired guards were quickly cut down by gunfire. Typical pirates preferred special chemical rounds that rapidly liquidated a body upon death, the carcasses dissolving into a vile green mess that quietly evaporated away.

In the aftermath of the carnage, the attackers looted what they wanted and simply left. Around them, a human gave orders, the obvious leader of the group. He directed his minions with an iron fist, both metaphorical and literal. His right hand and arm was a large, bionic prosthetic, a robotic extension of his body. A single scanner was latched over his left eye, as that too was long gone. Simply put, the large man's build was made half of muscle, half of machine. He coolly directed his lieutenants under him.

"Secure the crates. Make sure there are no survivors hiding. Move this stuff quickly, we got to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Yes, captain." they yelled in unison before going off to follow their orders. The mercenary leader scanned the carnage around him when his comm link suddenly alerted him. He activated the message.

"Captain Methalos...I get the impression you have made your first raid." a voice spoke.

"You are correct." Captain Methalos grunted.

"Were you able to get into the archives and find the package?" his correspondent asked.

"Not in this plant yet. We'll look into the next one we hit."

"I see...very well...just be thorough, captain." the voice said before the comm link went out. Methalos growled under his breath.

"Like I care how soon he gets what he wants."

Mass Effect

_Retrovirus_


	2. Chapter 1

Julland Sarrix did his best to process the amount of work that had piled on his computer console. If he were human, he would have probably been whistling to release tension, or simply would have sighed. The work at C-Sec was not disappointing. It kept him busy and although there were slow days, they were not the most tedious or mind numbing. Besides, it never became too slow since there was always going to be some upstart or another who had to cause a ruckus. However, Julland the troubled Turian could not help but feel a bit out of place. He let his focus drift away from his computer and towards the outside of his office.

C-Sec, short for Citadel Security, was just a small part of a massive space station simply called the Citadel. It was previously thought that the Citadel, along with the vital space travel devices called "mass relays" were built by an older but extinct alien race call the Protheans. It only only a little while ago that it was discovered that the Citadel was in fact a well disguised mass relay itself that led into dark space. There were numerous implications to go along with that. There was a lurking danger of yet another race called the Reapers, and that fact alone caused the Citadel to become a battle zone when the fact first became clear. However, other organizations dealt with those problems. As far as Julland Sarrix was told, he was now a C-Sec officer and it was the security of the Citadel that was his concern. Besides, other than the military and political institutions that now had to deal with a new enemy, life went on for everyone else.

The C-Sec officer snapped out of his tangent and got back to filling out the reports and paperwork required of him. Nothing completely out of the ordinary. No deep or chilling investigations were on his plate. They were just the usual disturbances ranging from disorderly conduct, an attempted shoplifting charge, littering, one aggravated assault charge, and some weird problem that happened in Chora's Den that he was not quite sure how to categorize yet. It was then that he looked over at the digital timer on his computer which told him it was time for lunch break.

"Joy." Julland muttered.

A quick trip up an elevator and down to the embassy lounge caught a fairly typical glimpse of the daily life of the Citadel. Most of the resident species of Council space could be found within a single glance of the view around oneself. There were the highly respected Asari, the stout Volus, the overly polite Hanar, the high strung Salarians, more Turians like himself, and of course, humans. The humans were newcomers to the galactic community. It all started with a minor little war about a generation before when humans first discovered Prothean technology on Mars. It rapidly accelerated their own technological development. Caught up in the excitement, humans started exploring everywhere, able to go at faster than light speeds. It was then that they ran into Turian space. Instead of being polite about it, they got into a war that lasted about two months. It was then that the Council, the ruling intergalactic body, decided to intervene and stop the conflict. Any species that had the determination and or stupidity to go toe to toe with the Turians deserved some recognition. Pretty soon, humans gained a reputation that was well summed up in their own words ,"Give a human a meter and he will demand a kilometer."

Indeed, humans had a strange set of expressions and idioms, if not to mention antics that Julland never could understand. They struck him as being slightly egocentric, then again, it seemed natural for one to be that way about their own species. However, he would never forget the time he was minding his own business when a group of humans passed by. The leader, possibly a tour guide, pointed him out and explained that he was a Turian. The human then proceeded to explain that Turians "Are best described as humanoid dinosaurs, having a tough skin with certain avian skeletal characteristics, as noticed by their beak like mouths and angular skulls that are very similar to those of birds." Julland wasn't quite sure what all that was suppose to mean. Hmph, humans.

Julland approached the bartender in the lounge. There were several places to get food and unwind for a bit on a break. Up here on the Presidium, he went to the embassy lounge. There was Chora's Den down in the wards but he didn't like it there. It seemed like two thirds of all disturbances he had to take care of happened inside or were involved with that "gentleman's club" where all the fun, and delinquents, were. There was also Flux, a lively night club, a bit more respectable than Chora's, at least the female humans and Asari were actually dressed and the general patrons weren't packing heat. However, the music...well, the music kept more than just the Keepers away.

The bartender greeted Julland while wiping down the bar counter.

"Ah, lunch break, Officer Sarrix. You will be having the usual, right?"

"Yes...and make sure you don't get the molecular composition mixed up. I'd hate to have to stagger down to the medical bay again." Julland grumbled.

"Yes, I apologize again for the incident." the barkeeper answered, and quickly got Julland his plate of food.

Turians came from a planet that, although tropical in nature, was still bombarded with low level radiation. Because of this, Turians like most other creatures on their planet, had a natural, hardened skin that allowed them to live at such low levels of radiation that would have otherwise killed off other creatures. That was probably what gave Turians the metallic grind in their voices. However, it also effected their molecular structure. Most creatures, like Humans, Salarians and Asari, are able eat similar foods. Turians had to have a different molecular structure food as their enzymes were different. A mistake in the food, at the very least, would simply pass through a Turian undigested. Julland's cousin, a guard working on the planet Noveria, discovered that a certain human pastry called "donuts" had this very effect. Slightly tasty and no chance of getting any nutrients whatsoever, the ultimate snack food. However, more often than not, it could instead trigger a severe allergic reaction like what happened in the mix up on one lunch break he had here. Julland quickly administered a dose of medi-gel, a kind of multipurpose salve that could take care of most medical ailments, no matter what race a creature was, at least just to provide a temporary patch up. The sick Turian than staggered down to the medical bay in the wards to receive full treatment on the matter. He wasn't happy about the pay he missed.

Like every lunch break, Julland decided the food was satisfactory, if non spectacular and marched back to his office to get back to work. He was certain he did not despise the work. His was a people centered on public service. With several levels of citizenship, over twenty, that could only be earned through military or public service, that and the collective mindset of all Turians, he was brought up from a young age to respect his duty as a Turian to serve for the greater whole. However, he knew that he could be doing a better job if he was located someplace else.

Julland continued on in his stupor of self pity as his fumbled into his office. He called out in surprise when he found out that someone was already sitting in his chair.

"Ah! Who are y-, explain yourself or I will have to- oh wait..." Julland fumbled and nearly grabbed his pistol when he suddenly realized who was sitting in his chair. It was an Asari acquaintance of his.

"Now Julland, is that any way to greet an old friend you have not seen in awhile?" the Asari chided teasingly with a sickly sweet voice. Julland shuddered his side mandibles, the tough, fleshy extension that braced each side of every Turian's lower jaw, as a type of scoff.

"Don't you think "friends" is too strong a word, Nalia?" Julland retorted. Nalia responded with a wry smile.

"Really, why do you feel that way? How would you rather describe it then?" Nalia asked, rising from the chair to walk towards him.

"I would better classify it as 'good acquaintances.'" the Turian explained, folding his arms across his chest.

"My, since when did you get all up tight, Julland? Spending too much time by the books, being tied up in procedures here in C-Sec have made a bit stiff, have they not? You seem a little more cranky than usual." Nalia teased.

"I am not being cranky, I just don't appreciate you breaking into my locked office and then startling me." Julland huffed, shooting a look at the Asari who was in front of him.

"I apologize then. But you do seem a bit more annoyed than usual."

"Hmph...well, I'm sure you know the reason...my being relocated." Julland muttered quietly. Nalia's eyes suddenly lit up again. Julland did not like the way they did, though.

"Well then Julland, you will probably like what I'm about to ask you."

"I doubt it." Julland grumped as plodded back to his desk.

"Oh stop being depressing and listen to me. I need your help on a mission." Nalia stated. Julland spun around, his face clearly alarmed.

"Wait, no Nalia. I cannot join you on another Spectre mission." Julland defended.

"Why not? You said yourself that you'd rather be doing anything other than this-"

"I did not say that, I just said I was not all that thrilled with being relocated!" the officer defended.

"Whatever, either way, I really need your help. Besides, you're the best person I can think of to help me." Nalia smiled sweetly. Julland in turn looked back at her with half closed, annoyed Turian eyes.

"One Nalia, every time I join you on a Spectre mission, I get shot at. Multiple times. Meaning I nearly lose my life. Multiple times. That, and I'm up to my neck in C-Sec work and I can not request leave." Julland answered stubbornly.

"Oh don't worry, I've taken care of that for you. I pulled rank and gave you time off for as long as the mission takes." Nalia grinned mischievously. Julland stared back at her dismayed.

"Why didn't you ask for my permission first?" Julland demanded.

"Oh, but what fun would that be? Besides, you're so predictable with your initial complaints but you always end up helping anyway." Nalia answered.

"Not that I get much choice to begin with." Julland grumbled.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Nalia inquired.

"Nothing...fine...if you've already got me leave, I better do exactly as you have requested my leave should be for. All right...what's the mission about and when should we go?" Julland relented. Nalia giggled.

"I knew you'd see things my way. Here, lets get our equipment and then I'll explain it to you." the Asari answered, taking the Turian's arm and marching him out of his office.


	3. Chapter 2

Julland was still rapidly searching his Turian mind for a way to get out of this mess. Surely, even the dreariness of C-sec work would be better than this. Yes, even the lowest level of public service would be heaven compared to going on a mission with Nalia. Julland scratched the base of the tough, plume like extensions that came from his head, something he was told gave him a resemblance to creatures called "birds."

"Nalia, I know Asari, especially Asari commandos, are reputedly the most formidable warriors in the galaxy. Don't you think you, an Asari Spectre, can handle yourself alone?" Julland sputtered.

"Oh, its just the biotics. They're great special effects, but you need someone covering your back and since Turians are stalwart soldiers, you included, I'm taking you along." Nalia answered. Julland sighed, knowing it would be futile to argue any longer.

"All right, at least tell me what the mission is about." Julland finally asked. Nalia shot another of her mischievous smirks.

"Oh, but you must see my new ship." the Asari answered, still tugging him by his arm. Julland shook his head.

"Oh for everything good in the universe...what did you do to get this ship?" the Turian asked skeptically.

"Julland! You think I stole this ship. How could you accuse me of such a thing?" Nalia rebuked.

"Because it would be most befitting you." Julland shot back.

"Okay, maybe..." Nalia admitted quietly. Julland let a wry smile cross his beak.

"But I seriously bought this one from the Alliance this time." Nalia defended.

"Why would the Alliance let you buy one of their ships?" the Turian demanded skeptically.

"Because one of their leaders owed me a favor, I negotiated, they're becoming more open to joint operations ever since Commander Shepard's example and in the end, I got a new Alliance frigate." Nalia beamed. Julland sighed.

"Very well..show it to me."

Nalia lead him through the docks in the Citadel port. Julland kept a wary eye on the Asari in front of him. There was always a trick up Nalia's sleeve, and sometimes one could not tell if it was for her friends or people that got in her way. Like all Asari, Nalia resembled a human woman, save for the fact that she was completely cerulean blue, a purple tint shading her extremities, and that fact that she didn't have hair. Instead, Asari had sculpted folds of skin along their heads. The Asari were also greatly respected, being very diplomatic and at least welcoming of other races. They were also an all female race, though female was probably not even a proper term. Physiologically, they were female, but at the same time, they called themselves a mono-gendered race that was not really female or male. They usually just ended up taking feminine identities and persona as, even they found it to be easier than going through a whole philosophical biological explanation that usually ended up with them just being labelled females. It didn't help that they already had long standing titles such as "Matriarch," "Matron," and "Maiden" to designate the stages of their lives. Although radiant blue was the typical Asari skin color, it could range from deeper blue, almost indigo, to a lighter purple color.

"Well, here it is. One of the better ones too, fast and packs quite a punch for its size." Nalia announced. Julland took in the sight of the ship. It was the typical size and configuration of the human Alliance Navy frigate. He read the name painted along the side of the ship.

"SSV Shiloh. Hmm...I wonder what that means."

"Ah, just some battle that happened back on Earth, before humans discovered space flight. At least, that's what they name all their frigates after, some battle or another." Nalia shrugged. Julland shifted on his feet.

"Well, I better go get my equipment." the Turian announced.

"Oh don't worry, its already on board."

"Nalia...how were you able to get my equipment and stuff in on your new ship without my knowing?" Julland demanded suspiciously, if not a little peeved.

"Because you're so predictable, leaving it in those weapons and armor cases in your office. I found them, stowed them on board, and then waited for you." Nalia explained. Julland let out an exasperated sigh.

"Nalia, you really need to learn the concept of private space." the Turian grumbled.

"Oh nonsense, I was just being helpful. Besides, we're friends, and if you're going to make me pull rank, then I'm a Spectre, and Specters can do anything they please" Nalia teased, poking one of her blue fingers into the Turian's chest. Julland brushed her hand away.

"Anything...short of open treason with the Council."

"Okay, except that. But its good being the "first and last line of defense" for the galaxy as they call it, the elite group of the Council's "right hand." It has its perks. One of them is a little more respect from those who run into you..." Nalia hinted, looking hard at Julland.

"I respect you as a friend, Nalia...and the fact that I've seen you, as a friend, through your best and worse, well, I'm not going to apologize if I treat you differently than most other species." Julland answered. Nalia lit up the room with one of her sickly sweet smiles again.

"Of course, I understand, but before we get started, lets get something to eat at the lounge or Flux, I'm getting tired of food rations." Nalia announced while dragging Julland again by his arm. The Turian plodded along wearily.

"I already ate, Nalia." Julland grumbled.

"Well, I'll get you dessert then, I'm sure you didn't even bother to eat that." the Asari smirked.

"They don't have anything that I would like for dessert, not that I need it."

"They don't? Have you tried Flux?"

"I don't like Flux."

"Oh don't be such a stiff neck, come on, we're going to Flux." Nalia insisted. Julland groaned.

In the Flux nightclub, Julland quietly tolerated the neo-techno music while poking at the Turian pastry Nalia bought him. The Asari was delightedly enjoying a meal herself, eating slowly to relish it. However, Julland quietly suspected she was just prolonging his stay here to teasingly torment him as she often did. He decided he should at least be grateful and started to dig more into his pastry.

"So Julland...its been a few standards months, how have you been doing? Anything new from when I last saw you?" Nalia asked out of the blue. Julland looked up and found her staring at him with her large emerald eyes.

"Not really. I was relocated into C-Sec as you already know. Been patrolling the Wards ever since." Julland answered. Nalia looked at him bemused.

"That's it? Come on, something else must have happened."

"Nope. Nothing special to talk about. I go around, round up a few idiots, write the reports, go back home, sleep, go back to work." Julland listed.

"No special cases?"

"No special cases."

"Hmm...well, have you met a Turian lady friend then?" Nalia giggled.

"No." Julland answered abruptly.

"Are you sure?" Nalia inquired.

"Positive. Enough about me, what have you done?" the Turian asked.

"Oh not much, the Council has been keeping me busy with small jobs. Nothing I can talk about though, all top secret stuff." Nalia grinned. Julland simply grunted in reply. Another period of silence passed.

"That's it? That's your only question?" Nalia asked.

"Yes, yes it is." Julland answered. Nalia sighed.

"You were never good with conversations." Nalia mumbled.

"Nope." Nalia finished her food, paid the stub and abruptly dragged Julland from his just recently ingested pastry.

"Come on, time to get back to the ship." Nalia announced.

For once in a long time, Julland was feeling not only where he belonged, but also much better. The Turian sized himself up. He had shed the standard issue Agent armor given to Turian C-Sec officers. He always hated that armor, feeling like it was flimsy. He felt like he might as well have been wearing tin foil for protection. It was good to be back in his old armor from the "good old days" of being in the Turian military. He still wore his Predator H armor with pride, issued to him, as well as his weapons, from Armax Arsenal, the main supplier for the Turian military. He made sure the single pane scanner that ran in front of his eye was properly secured. Yes, he felt good again. That finished, he joined Nalia on the bridge of the _Shiloh_. She exchanged a quick conversation with the Asari helmsman before greeting him.

"Even I can tell that you're grinning, as best as your Turian mouth parts will allow you." Nalia smirked.

"I am not grinning...its just... its just invigorating to be back on a ship again." Julland lied.

"Sure, whatever you say." Nalia rolled her eyes.

"So now what is the mission about?" the Turian asked, getting to business.

"Oh calm down, I'll explain it when we get to the investigation site." Nalia explained. Julland sighed.

"Fine, as its clear that I will not get any details out of you beforehand."

"Good. I'm glad you've finally been able to be reasoned with."

"So where are we going?" the Turian asked.

"On the outer edges of Terminus space. Helmsman, take us out, set a course for the coordinates I've given you." Nalia ordered.

"Aye, aye, ma'am." the Asari answered and immediately started to work the controls. Immediately, they all felt the _Shiloh_ shudder as it left its moorings on the dock. Within a few moments they were rocketing off to the nearest mass relay. Julland and Nalia watched through the minute view ports as the ship approached the large machine suspended in place, an orb of element zero remained energized in a matrix supported by large, spinning metallic arcs.

"Approaching relay, contact in fifteen seconds." the helmsman announced. Nalia continued to smile as the glowing orb of element zero grew larger.

"Contact in 3...2...1-"

A tendril of element zero engulfed the _Shiloh_, driving the ship on increasing speeds and then flung it down the length of relay, sending it off into the depths of space at speeds beyond that of light.


	4. Chapter 3

Nalia was a Spectre, something Julland was never allowed to forget because Nalia always reminded him of that fact. She started out as an Asari huntress and then commando. Julland had met her when he was in the Turian military. They had worked together in a joint operation to take care of a paramilitary organization that was getting out of hand. Nalia was as outgoing and overtly friendly back then as she is to this day and had, much to his chagrin, kept in touch with him. It didn't help that he also knew that when she wasn't blowing things up with her weapons, she was doing part time work as a dancer in joints worse than Chora's Den, if such as thing was possible.

Someway or another, her rambunctious career and attitude caught the attention of the Council. Julland wondered what was going through their minds when they did it, but somehow Nalia was made a Spectre. Julland is still waiting on his prediction that the entire fabric of galactic society is going to unravel because of this decision. He once heard a human expression that adequately summed his feelings about it. He couldn't quite remember, but it went something along the lines of everything going to a fiery underworld.

While they sped off towards their destination, Nalia gave Julland a tour of her ship, her crew personally handpicked by her. Because Spectre status was not necessarily a military rank, she had taken on the title of "captain" for lack of anything better. The Turian was surprised that it was the crew that had given her this name, and not herself personally.

"Our Asari helmsman, or woman if you want, is Talana. Most by the books pilot I've ever met. You two would probably get along." Nalia introduced. Julland simply nodded while Talana scanned the instruments before her.

"All systems operating normally. Estimated arrival time to destination in 18 standard hours." Talana announced.

"Whatever you say, Talana." Nalia answered, walking off. Julland hesitated, unnerved by Nalia's lack of military refinement, especially on a crew used to working in such conditions. Talana glanced back at him.

"Don't worry about it, we all got used to it eventually." Talana explained before looking back at the controls.

"Hmph." Julland grumbled. He followed Nalia as she continued to give the tour, which soon led them towards the back of the ship and then landed them in an elevator that would make the drop into the lower sections of the _Shiloh_.

"How slow can a ship's elevator be? Frigates are suppose to be the fastest ships in the human navy, besides fighter ships and they can't have a decent elevator?" Julland complained as the machine ground along its path at a pathetically slow rate.

"I always wondered about that too...I talked to the boys in engineering, see if they could do anything about it. They haven't gotten to it yet. I'm told that human frigates are known to have sluggish cargo elevators, goddess knows why." Nalia shrugged. Julland continued to grumble in discontent.

Once the elevator finally did make the landing, Julland was able to see the bowels of the ship. Aside from firearms for the ship's crew and a few crates of supplies, there was also a Mako land rover, the sturdy and reliable military vehicles that could do anything from standard assault, land exploration and even survive a drop from high altitudes, being deployed from the frigate itself.

"Yes, that came with the package too. I got myself quite the bargain." Nalia said, noticing Julland admiring the white craft.

The ship's engine bay was also impressive. The drive core was yet another suspended mass of element zero, glowing and billowing in time with the machinery that manipulated it.

"And this is my chief engineer, Merjj." Nalia introduced. Julland found himself looking down at a Salarian who glanced up at him, quickly shook his hand, and then went back to work.

"Nice to have you board. Captain Nalia said we had to pick someone up. I suspected a Turian as much, as that would seem most logical from the impressions I got." Merjj said in the typical Salarian speed talk. His eyes never once left the monitor in front of him. Julland was almost amused. Most Salarians amused him to a small degree.

"I'm sure we'll get along fine." Julland murmured.

"Yes. Yes indeed. I do not know why you'd come down here too often, especially with that mystifyingly slow elevator. I really should take a look at that sometime. Well, if you'll excuse me, I best be concentrating on these readings, captain." Merjj explained, still manipulating the buttons in front of him.

"Very well Merjj, carry on." Nalia dismissed him.

Salarians were a bipedal race of amphibians with an accelerated metabolism. This in turn caused them to speak, act and think quickly. Salarians could give the impression of being cagey, high strung or hurried. On the flip side, Salarians saw most races as sluggish and slow. They differed in the way they thought, being non-linear in format, allowing them to be very astute or absolute idiots, depending on how they used it. Their metabolisms are so overwhelming, a Salarian is often fine with just an hour's sleep in a standard day. All of this energy comes at a price; a Salarian is considered lucky if it hits forty. At twenty years of age, it was all downhill from here for Merjj.

Once cleared of the sluggish elevator, and Julland's personal vow never to visit the bottom of the ship again, the Asari and Turian returned to the bridge. Nalia found herself checking for any signs of age to explain her old friend's elevated agitated behavior. Same grayish, tannish tough skin with the white tribal markings running up his brow and head plumes. No new wrinkles that stood out, and the same watchful yellow eyes.

"You're staring, Nalia." Julland's remark interrupted her search.

"What can I say, you're quite the specimen." Nalia answered sarcastically. Julland rolled his eyes.

"I think its about time you let me know what's going on." the old Turian soldier suggested.

"Ah yes...follow me." Nalia ordered, going down the stairs towards her own personal quarters. She took out a Spectre special issue pistol and started to inspect it before giving Julland the briefing.

"A few days ago, a fleet of pirates and raiders left the Terminus system. This happens on a regular basis, as you already know. They hit the Attican Beta Cluster, the usual spot. In this case, a manufacturing plant on Eletania was hit, recently put there by Devlon Industries. Ironic how a company devoted to producing equipment to withstand environmentally hazardous conditions would be working on a planet that would need their own equipment." Nalia stated.

"But the Terminus system always does that, and the Attican Beta Cluster is usually the one to get hit. The Council usually has done nothing before. Why are you getting involved?" Julland asked.

"This time, the Council is suspicious. Something did not seem right. According to one of the Councilors, it seemed a bit too organized. They want me to investigate and try to discreetly neutralize any threat, if there are any left by the time we get there." Nalia answered. Julland stared at her.

"You mean to tell me that there may not be anything left by the time we get there? The raiders may have just disappeared or killed themselves like they usually do by the time we arrive? You took me away from my work just for this?" Julland screeched, clearly upset.

"Oh stop being dramatic. Don't pretend you like your work, and besides, I agree, there is something different about this attack." Nalia defended, putting her pistol away.

"I hope you're right." Julland grumbled.

"You doubt me?" Nalia teased.

"I mostly doubt any ability to you living up to the Council's request of being 'discreet'"

Captain Methalos flexed his massive, synthetic arm while his mechanical eye continued to feed him information that his other organic eye couldn't. So far, everything was going smoothly for him and his lieutenants. They still had not recovered what they had been paid to do, but at least the plunder they picked up was only further driving their appetite for more. It was a further incentive until they finally found the package they were looking for. Even then, their employer might have more jobs for Methalos to consider once they found it.

However, there had been one problem which had just recently hit Methalos' attention. One of the ship captains under his command had died mysteriously. The cause of death wasn't the mystery, a shotgun blast to the chest was the most obvious thing in the galaxy as to what caused his heart to stop beating, or rather disintegrate in this case. Rather, it was why and who that were the questions left to be answered.

"What should we do with the ships he was commanding?" an aide asked.

"Break them up among the other captains. If any have a problem, kill them." Methalos judged. His aides nodded and left. Methalos really did not care who did it. That captain had it coming to him anyway.

In the ruins of the blasted factory, a single figure stalked through the shadows. Only the light ports on the hunter's head gave it away. Creeping for a few feet, quickly analyzing what it saw, and then moving to the next strategic location, it quickly took in what had happened. There was little to be found, but it did acquire the information it wanted. Nearly unnoticed in the dark shades, the hunter stalked out of the ruins. It had a message to send.


	5. Chapter 4

Julland walked back to the bridge, passing though the hallway where all the ship's information consoles were located. The Turian suddenly wondered who kept track of all the information since Nalia was not able to find a full volunteer crew. That was when he noticed a single Hanar resting on a seat, while its many long tentacles danced and probed the dozen computer stations. Occasionally, the Hanar would roll the seat where it wished to inspect a monitor or two before moving onto the next.

"Excuse me, but I wish to pass." Julland announced, one of the Hanar's tentacles was in his way.

"This one apologizes, you may go." the Hanar stated, moving its long appendage aside so the Turian could pass.

"Are you the only one running this station?" Julland suddenly asked the Hanar.

"For now, this one is the only crew member present for this shift. Captain Nalia has been most diligent in searching for more willing volunteers. Alas, the task must be difficult. As unfortunate as this is, this one is still able to deal with most situations on its own." the Hanar answered. Julland raised an eyebrow.

"And what may I call you by?" the Turian asked.

"This one is called Dolphos. How many this one address you? Are you the respectable friend of Captain Nalia?" Dolphos asked.

"Yes, my name is Julland. Carry on." the Turian dismissed the hard working Hanar.

"It has been pleasant meeting you, Julland." Dolphos responded before getting back to work.

The Hanar were a species that looked like over sized jellyfish. They got about on their long tentacles, which often allowed them to stand at a height of about seven feet. They seemed to possess no obvious head, other than a protrusion where their body sac would be that seemed to orient where its front was. They communicated through a form of bioluminesence, which was not fully understood. Finally, they were highly diplomatic and polite, having zero tolerance for improper language. This was why Hanar were now instituting classes in their education system to help them understand other species and to at least allow for a non-Hanar to not to have the most perfect grammar, at least, in their minds.

Julland made his way to the forward controls where Talana was still manning her station. She seemed refreshed, so the Turian assumed this meant that there must have been one shift change since he last saw her. The Asari helmsman glanced at him in greeting.

"Julland, welcome back. Nalia mentioned that you once served with the Turian military. What is your rank?" Talana asked.

"I am no longer in the service. Therefore, I have no rank." Julland answered.

"Fair enough."

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" the Turian asked.

"In exactly one standard hour." Talana informed.

"Thank you, Talana. Carry on."

Eletania was a lush, green planet with jagged mountain formations. On face value, the planet would give the impression of a good candidate for a colony location. Unfortunately, Eletania's native microbes flourish in the heavily oxygenated atmosphere. The result was an environment that is toxic for most creatures that do not already live on the planet. Filtration systems sophisticated enough to clear a suitable environment have not been developed enough, leaving the only viable options of having tightly sealed habitations and special exploration suits. Recently, some organizations started making limited incursions on the planet. Devlon Industries was particularly interested since they already specialized in producing extreme hazard exploration and combat suits as well weapons and other equipment made to function in settings like Eletania.

Julland and Nalia suited up in the _Shiloh's_ cargo bay. Julland was dressed plume to claw in his old military equipment. This meant the Turian produced Predator H heavy armor, as well as any soldier's usual compliment of weapons: sniper rifle, assault rifle, shotgun and pistol. Nalia learned that it did not matter what weapon Julland used, anything that wanted to live a second longer should not allow itself in front of his weapon. The Turian was deadly efficient with anything put in his hands.

Julland was skeptical of Nalia, who stood in stark contrast. She wore a simple Guardian armor, using it one for its relatively high shielding power, if lower impact protection, and for its black coloring, helping her to go unnoticed. She also only carried her pistol, claiming it was easy to conceal, quick to draw and had not failed her yet. Besides, she depended more on her biotic powers.

"Ready?" Nalia asked through her communications array after placing on her helmet.

"Lead the way." Julland answered as they both approached the Mako vehicle.

Once inside, they both listened to Talana's voice over the radio as they gave constant updates on their approach.

"You handle the turret. I'll take care of the controls." the Asari ordered. Julland glanced at her.

"You sure you don't want me to drive?" a hint of foreboding was in the Turian's metallic voice.

"I can handle it, don't worry." Nalia reassured with a smile. She didn't notice the pained look on the Turian's face. The navigator's voice chimed in on their radio.

"We are approaching drop point. Bay doors now opening. Preparing for drop in thirty seconds." Julland and Nalia both made sure that they were securely fastened to their seats with the heavy restraining belts. Talana's voice continued.

"Approaching drop point in fifteen seconds. Preparing to drop the Mako, clear the shuttle way." The Turian and Asari stared through the monitors that feed them the visual data ahead. In front of them was a vast sky with numerous clouds and a overwhelmingly green landscape below. Massive, jagged mountain ranges racked the planet in large areas.

"Destination reach, dropping the Mako." With that, they heard a small metallic clank and the Mako fell forward on the shuttle way before falling free from the _Shiloh_ and out into the open air. From here on it, gravity took over as the large all terrain vehicle fell like a rock through the sky. The onboard computer took over and at the right calculated point, it fired the lower jet thrusters, providing just enough opposite momentum for the Mako to land safely onto the ground. The large rover touched down with a heavy bang but quickly came to a halt, ready for action. They had made a perfect touchdown.

"Ah crud...why did the humans have to design it for such a hard landing? I felt all my organs leap into my head." Julland complained.

"Exhilarating isn't it?" Nalia grinned from ear to ear.

"I hate you." Julland murmured.

"Say what?"

"I said lets move."

It was a short ride but eventually they saw the facility with several gaping holes blown into it. Scorch marks were everywhere. It had been several days since the attack and the place seemed all but deserted. Devlon Industries had sent a team to collect what little they could of the bodies of those lost and to clean up anything of value. Other than that, they were still not sure with what to do with the facility anymore. Nalia had already interviewed the few survivors and there was not much to be gained.

"All right, our suits will only allow us to be out here for a limited time. I'll check the computer terminals, you search for anything out of place." Nalia told her Turian comrade.

"Understood." Julland answered and they both exited the Mako.

The inside of the factory looked even worse on the inside than it did outside. The fire damage was even worse and blasted parts laid scattered everywhere. In some places it was nearly impossible to walk without stumbling. In other places the taint of where bodies evaporated from the chemical rounds was still visible. Nalia searched for a functioning computer terminal while Julland scavenged through the wreckage.

Realizing that the amount of time they could spend in the toxic environment was limited, the Asari commando simply downloaded all of the files she could into her omni-tool. She could sort through it later. It was about that time that Julland returned.

"Couldn't find anything out of place in a war zone like this." Julland buzzed through his radio.

"That's all right. Let's head out before-" Nalia stared in horror as something fell from the ceiling and landed on Julland's head.

The Turian immediately reacted, fighting to get the unknown object from off his shoulders. Whatever it was, it was certainly living since he could see the paws grasping on the glass of his helmet. To make matters worse, he saw Nalia pull out her pistol. That's when everything clicked.

"Nalia, calm down, its only one of the indigenous monkey like species." Julland assured, still trying to get the purple monkey off of him.

"Well this will certainly get him off." Nalia murmured. Julland nearly panicked, mostly at the thought of Nalia shooting him through the head trying to get the monkey.

"No! Nalia, do not be unreasonable." Julland argued.

"Well hurry and get him off, we don't have a lot of time." Nalia grumbled.

"I'm sure with just a little more persuasion, I can-" the Turian was interrupted by a muffled pop. Both stared at each other, wondering what the sound was. Nalia then saw what it was while Julland simultaneously felt it. The cord providing Julland his air supply suddenly fell away from his helmet.

"Why you little gremlin, you are so going to die!" Nalia shouted, raising her pistol. Julland panicked, held his breath, and made a dash for the Mako. He hoped he could hold his breath long enough. Meanwhile, the monkey caught sight of the Asari's firearm, and let out a horrified screech.

The monkey jumped off the Turian, Julland stumbled and dashed for the exit, and Nalia kept her pistol trained on the petrified animal. Julland made the agonizing run for the vehicle, knowing full well that if he opened his mouth just to take in one breath, he would soon go into a toxic shock from the pathogens in the air. His joints burned while his lungs became an inferno. He kept telling himself to run, keep running, the Mako was getting closer. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, but there was no time to look back or scold Nalia. Whimpering with exertion, his vision going blurry, Julland fought his way to the craft. He kept telling himself to remember his training, remain disciplined under this psychological fire, he could make it...he could make it...he had to make it.

He felt something heave in his chest. Julland felt his heart drop as he realized what he had just done. Against his will, he felt his legs buckle under him and he fell to the ground. Staring up at the blue sky that was quickly becoming dim, he wondered what sadistic sense of humor allowed this to happen to him. In what he was sure was his dying moments, he suddenly started to ponder the unknown. Where will I go? What will happen after I close my eyes? Just before he decided to embrace whatever that might be, he saw the dim figure of Nalia reaching down to pick him up.


	6. Chapter 5

_He always knew that sometime in his career this type of decision was going to have to be made. From early on, he was taught never to betray the unit, never betray your comrade in arms. However, each knew that there was always the possibility that they would have to be ordered to their deaths. It was something they always said they would accept. The only problem was what others might have felt about it. _

_"Captain, her mission is already compromised! There is no reason for her to stay there, we have to call her back!" _

_"Negative commander. You will stay here at your post."_

_"There is no reason to throw her life away like this!" _

_"Enough commander! We need you here at the line, we can spare no one to save her...Commander, where are you going?! This is insubordination! Get back here...get back here...get back here..." _

The hunter moved silently but quickly through the rough terrain and dark green foliage. It was nearing its target. Always keeping to the shadows, never betraying a sound, the dark green and black shadow remained unseen, even in the columns of sunlight that broke the forest. Over the ridge was its target. There could be others nearby, others who would have to be dispatched silently. A sharp blade flashed in the light, the only hint of its location, and it was only a single flash. The angel of judgment once again slipped into the darkness.

Never had the light felt so painful. He wasn't aware that he should have welcomed it either. His first thought was that there was in fact an afterlife, and it really did not seem so much like another dimension like he had heard. The bright light and tranquility suggested he had gone to a final paradise. The pain and burning suggested he had gone to the final judgment. Perhaps this was purgatory.

"You're awake. You are indeed a very tough Turian. I do not know if a lesser being would have made it." an electronic voice spoke. Julland decided that perhaps computers were needed in the afterlife as well.

"W-where...how...?" Julland mumbled weakly.

"You are back on the _Shiloh_. Captain Nalia was able to bring you back here just in a nick of time. I suspect a few minutes longer and you would not be alive now." the voice continued to tell him. Julland forced his eyes to focus.

"I'm...still alive?" Julland's mouth asked with parch lips.

"Indeed you are." the voice answered. The speaker's form suddenly filled his vision. Julland continued to make his eyes focus. It was like reaching for something so far from his grasp.

"How are you feeling?"

"Eyes...blurry...throat...dry..." Julland rasped.

"Yes, after effects from the treatment. We had to sterilize your air and lungs, not a very kind procedure, but you may now drink fluids since you are better."

"You are...doctor?"

"Yes. My name is Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh. You may call me Jima." the doctor answered.

"Name...strange..." Julland mumbled.

"Well, the _Shiloh_ is now my home. It is only fair that I go along with the tradition of my people and change my name." Only with that did Julland's dry mind click with the slightly blurry vision in front of him. Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh was a Quarian.

His senses slowly coming back to him, as well as control of his once comatose body, Julland forced himself to sit up in bed.

"Julland, are you sure you're ready to be doing things like that? I highly suggest against it." Dr. Jima informed.

"I'll be fine." Julland grumbled weakly. Right now the biggest pain he could feel was his parched throat. Perhaps fixing that would take care of his head which felt like a lead weight.

"I could use a drink, though." Julland admitted, sounding a bit stronger. Dr. Jima immediately saw to that.

"Why are you here? I doubt you're on your Pilgrimage. How did Nalia find you?" Julland asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Dr. Jima did not even flinch, as if used to getting that question.

"After I completed my Pilgrimage a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to leave the Flotilla. Us Quarians are not going to prosper if we confine ourselves to the Flotilla with the controlled population standards and limited living space. I decided I would leave and perhaps find another Quarian with similar ideas. Perhaps if more follow my example and the few others that have, perhaps somehow us wanderers will contribute to the ultimate good for the Quarians."

"However, I asked you to come aboard for your superb skills in medicine and experience working in space, not your idealistic hopes. Not that there's anything wrong with that." Nalia's voice suddenly interrupted. Jima could not help but notice Julland flinch a bit.

"Julland, I'm glad to see that you're awake. Are you feeling service fit?" the Asari asked.

"I'll probably need a few more minutes. Did you find anything back at Eletania? Julland asked.

"Yes. There was nothing to be found from the computer files. However, Dolphos was able to pick up some readings near the site. Turns out it was the exhaust from drop ships. Their flight pattern has not been matched with any registered ships that were recorded to be nearby." Nalia informed.

"Have you tracked them down?"

"We are nearing the planet the exhaust trails lead to. Dr. Jima will give you a final look over and then if she gives her approval, you are to accompany me when we land. Deal?"

"Deal." Julland answered.

Nalia gave one of her pleased smiles and then left the medical ward. Meanwhile, Jima activated her omni-tool, found the medical interface, and started to scan his vital systems. Dr. Jima, like most other Quarians, wore a full environmental suit nearly all the time. Her protective covering had medical blue patches as well as white. Quarian environmental suits seemed to have a patchwork characteristic to them. This included a type of helmet with a darkened face goggle and an electronic radio for communication. The reason for this was after many centuries of living in the sterile environments of the Flotilla, the migrant fleet of ships that kept the mainstay of the Quarian population nomads, their overall immune systems started to weaken. If one peered hard enough through the dark face visor, one would get the impression that the Quarians appeared to be humanoid, if perhaps slightly shorter. However, they only had three long digits for fingers as well as toes. Furthermore, their lower legs bent backwards instead of remaining straight. Since most everyone saw Quarians in their environmental suits, no one was really sure what a Quarian looked like out of one. Some suggested they were a mix of organic and synthetic physiology, after all, they were the ones that created the Geth. However, this was all speculation and the Quarians didn't seem to mind to let them keep guessing.

"Other than slightly elevated stress levels, which would be normal considering the circumstances, you are fine. However, I suggest not to get in trouble for awhile." Dr. Jima stated, her diagnostics complete.

"Thank you, doctor. I will do my best, but considering Nalia, I doubt that will be possible." Julland stated. Dr. Jima made a strange noise which Julland couldn't quite identify. Was that...a chuckle?

"You have a sense of humor Julland and I'm afraid you are right."

A few minutes later Julland was wondering how much higher his anxiety levels had spiked as he bounced and tumbled in his seat to the fearless, if erratic driving of Nalia at the wheel of the Mako. The Turian had found his armor, equipment, and eye scanner. He was also feeling marginally better, though he wasn't sure how long that was going to last.

"Nalia, you do know that there is such a thing as a brake, right?" Julland demanded sarcastically.

"Brake?"

"Yes, the other pedal right there." Julland pointed towards the floor.

"Oh! So that's what that thing is for!" Nalia declared in all sincerity. Julland shook his head.

"So, what's the plan?" the disgruntled Turian asked.

"Really, I don't know. I figured we'd just drive up and find out." Nalia admitted.

"You're just going to drive up to a bunch of possible pirates and mercenaries and say a kind hello?" Julland growled.

"Well, we don't know if they're pirates yet. They were just in the area."

"And what if they shoot at us?" Julland snapped.

"We shoot back." Nalia grinned sweetly. Julland rolled his eyes.

A few more minutes passed by as they neared the designated location. Julland kept his eye on the radar. There were several ships moored on the ground while boxes of crates littered the place. Julland tensed as they kept getting closer, the tiny specks moving around becoming clear figures, obviously holding firearms. Surprisingly, they had not fired on the Mako. This was something new. Nalia on the other hand was grinning with excitement, a crazed look in her eye. She cautiously parked the Mako near the camp. Still, no gunfire had broken out.

"So...have a plan yet?" Julland asked quietly.

"Activate your assault rifle if you like, just keep it down. People generally don't like to be talked to at gun point." Nalia smirked. The two cautiously climbed out of the Mako and started walking towards the center of the camp. There were several humans, Salarians, one or two Krogans, and a lot of Batarians. A single human stood out from the rest, wearing heavier armor than most of the others.

"You the leader around here?" Nalia asked. The man, numerous scars criss crossing his face and neck, simply nodded.

"Who are you?" the man asked gruffly. Julland hesitated. What was Nalia going to say, what was she going to say?

"Someone who has an offer to give you." Nalia chirped, one of her delicious smiles flashing.

The hunter laid unseen above its prey. It watched its quarry move, hoping for it to settle in the right spot, to make the right movement. The hunter stared through the scope of its rifle. There were disturbances. There were enough disturbances already and it wanted to nail its target. If things came to a boil, those intruders would become targets themselves. Two of them, an Asari and Turian. Agitated, the hunter scanned the situation again, calculating. No, it was wrong. There was one more disturbance. It had not happened yet but it was very close to erupting. The hunter started to think fast. Which disturbance would happen first and then, how would the eruption, the ripples, play out afterwards? It had to think. How could it manipulate this situation, the threatening disturbances, all in the right time? It looked back down the scope of its rifle and watched the crosshairs drift over the approaching Asari.

Julland cast a wary eye over Nalia while keeping a firm grip on his Crossfire assault rifle. He hoped she knew what she was doing because he was seriously starting to distrust the pirate leader before him. His eye scanner screamed, highlighting numerous possible hostile entities and their locations. Even a computer knew that this was nearly suicide. It was amazing nothing had exploded yet.

"Here's the deal, I need information on the attack on Eletania. If you explain to me why exhaust residue from your ships lead there, I'll leave and none will be the wiser." Nalia negotiated. The pirate gave a toothless smile.

"Simple. We blew up it, us and whole lot of others."

"I see..." Nalia mumbled. Julland could tell she was running out of ideas.

"Well then, I guess we'll be going." Nalia announced. Before Julland could protest, the leader interrupted.

"I'm afraid not." he stated, pointing his shotgun at them, Julland immediately identified it as the Avalanche model. From what he studied back in the military, that particular brand had a nasty punch.

"Hey now, I thought we had a deal." Nalia argued.

"We did. Now here's a new deal. We shoot you and then we take your vehicle. That's the only reason I did not allow my boys to shot at it in the first place." Julland knew at this point, it was too late to raise his assault rifle. They were at a standoff. It didn't help that he could see all the nearby raiders taking careful aim at them.

"Its been a pleasure doing business with you." the leader smirked.

"Scum..." Julland muttered.

"Take aim boys, ready-" before the leader could even finish his sentence, he was suddenly gone, vanished into thin air.

The next few moments flashed by so quickly, it was blurred and yet so vivid in the Turian's mind. The pirate leader disappeared. A loud, echoing boom rolled over the area. The air suddenly became very hot, Nalia who had been closer was visibly irritated by this invisible force which threw the both of them on the ground. The pirates became confused, looking around. Nalia and Julland quickly recovered and drew out their weapons as they rushed for cover. Before they could even fire, a gunshot, possibly a shotgun, rang out from the far side of the camp. There was shouting.

"You cowardly bastards, die!" Another shotgun fire followed by a sickening thump. From behind the cover of a crate, Julland saw the wildly burning effigy of the pirate leader fall from the sky, angry flames rapidly licking from his corpse. The Turian racked his mind for an explanation. Only a high explosive round could have blasted a body into the air and cause the burns like that. Another boom rang out, another pirate burst into flames. Shotgun fire continued to blare out and the pirate camp suddenly erupted with gunfire. There was only one explanation.

"Nalia, on the far side of the campus, someone is staging a rebellion. Its the one screaming and firing their shotgun." Julland announced.

"Makes sense." Nalia conceded, readying her pistol.

"There's also a sniper somewhere around here." the Turian also added.

"You sure about that?" Another boom interrupted Julland, followed by another body being flung into the air, only to fall back to the ground as a burning wreckage.

"No other explanation." Julland stated.

"All right, lets hope those two are on our side." Nalia answered.

"Should we order the _Shiloh_ to analyze the situation?"

"What, and miss out on all this fun? You make the call, I'm joining in." Nalia smiled darkly. Leaving her cover, Nalia suddenly glowed sapphire, powering up her biotic abilities. Suddenly, an orb of blue energy materialized in the center of the campus. Bodies, crates, anything that wasn't tied down eerily left their place and were quickly flung towards the center of the energy mass. A nasty trick, but singularity was one of Nalia's favorite powers.

"_Shiloh_, this Julland on ground team. We are requesting an immediate scan on our position. There is an unknown sniper in the area. I repeat, unknown sniper. There is also another party firing on the pirates opposite our location. We need their identity as well." Julland radioed.

"Roger that ground team. _Shiloh_ heading on approach vector. Dolphos will be notified to make immediate scans." Talana's voice answered. Satisfied, Julland looked from around his crate and opened fire with his assault rifle. The hapless pirates, still caught in the singularity field, were easy targets to Julland's sledgehammer rounds that ripped at their shields and tattered their armor. To make matter worse, Nalia opened another biotic field, this time using a different energy signature. Distorting forces opened up in the singularity area, contorting and damaging the pirates and in some cases, breaking bone if they hit a particularly strong energy flux. Julland recognized this tactic of Nalia's. Bring them together in a singularity field where she could hit all of them with a warp field as well.

Both fields soon ran out of energy. The crates and pirates unceremoniously crashed back onto the ground. The disoriented survivors were still being racked by fire from Julland's assault rifle. Nalia's communication array suddenly chirped.

"This one has earnestly analyzed your current position. This one sees that a very agitated looking human has slaughtered a few pirates on the far end of the camp and is currently approaching your position." Dolphos' voice announced.

"Can you tell me anything else about this human?" Nalia asked.

"This one sadly cannot. It only strongly suggests that you proceed with caution."

"What about that sniper, Dolphos?"

"This one has only run a visual scan. The unknown sniper is stubbornly still hidden. This one is hurriedly running electronic and heat scans now."

"Thank you, Dolphos. Keep us posted." Nalia answered with her sugary voice before getting back into the action and firing her pistol.

There were few surviving pirates left. True to what Dolphos said, scattered rounds poured into the pirates position, possibly this unknown human. Soon, all that remained was a single Krogan, doggedly holding on.

"Hang on Julland, I'll make sure he can't do anything." Nalia told the Turian, still firing his weapon. The Asari glowed sapphire again but before a field could open up, the Krogan immediately burst into flames.

"I really don't like that sniper." Julland muttered, as he and Nalia once again ducked for cover.

"_Shiloh_, where is that sniper?" Nalia demanded into her communication link.

"This one is most worried that it still cannot find the location of your sniper. This one's heat scans have revealed nothing. Perhaps this sniper has interfering equipment."

"Run a larger scan, Dolphos."

"This one has run scans in the radius of normal combat ranges."

"Perhaps this is not a normal sniper, Dolphos." Nalia growled.

"This one belatedly understands. This one submissively apologizes and complies. It also warns you that the unknown human is running to your position." Dolphos radioed. Nalia and Julland could hear the footsteps.

"Please, don't shoot. I've been held captive by them and I've been looking for a chance to get payback." a feminine voice stated. To Julland's dismay, the human literally tripped over him and Nalia, scurrying to find cover with them.

"Calm down human, that sniper has probably been watching us." Julland scolded.

"Tell us your name and story, sweetie." Nalia said, also peeking around the crate, looking for signs of the sniper.

"I'm Dalora Algre. I'm a mercenary. These pirates hit my group awhile back, I've been prisoner ever since." the human wore an Ursa light armor model, the white suit covered in scorch marks, scrapes and stains.

"A mercenary captured by pirates?" Julland snapped skeptically.

"Hey, not all mercenaries work for the bad guys. We just sell ourselves to whoever pays best. Some of us work for good causes, you know." Dalora snapped. Any facial signals were hidden behind her helmet.

"Fair enough." Julland grumbled.

"Well, welcome to the team for now, Dalora. Unfortunately, we're not so sure about that sniper out there. Is he working with you by any chance?" Nalia asked.

"Not that I know of. I kind of wish he was though, he's a darn good shot." Dalora admitted as they all continued to huddle behind the crates.

"_Shiloh_, get those scans now! We could be in grave danger!" Julland shouted into his radio.

"This one understands your fear. That is why this one is very displeased that it still has not found the location of the sniper. It humbly suggests that- wait...this one has the location of the sniper. He is walking towards your position. His current location is the slope of the hill leading down to you."

"Shut up, not so loud. You might give us away." Julland hissed.

"This one most apologizes with utmost regret to its thoughtless-" Julland shut off the comm link.

"That was rude..." Nalia whispered.

"I just saw him." Julland answered.

"What?" Dalora asked.

"I just saw movement. I saw him." Julland answered firmly. The three sat in silence before the sound of footsteps hit their ears. Again...silence.

"Think he's gone?" Dalora asked quietly.

"Always possible..." Nalia suggested.

"I doubt it." Julland grumbled, clutching his assault rifle.

"Stand up, I assume we're on the same side but I could be wrong. All of you out." a voice called out. The hunter had arrived.

"Told you." Julland hissed as the three stood to their feet.


	7. Chapter 6

Julland, Nalia and Dalora slowly stood to their feet. All were still clutching their weapons, though none had raised their firearms. However, Julland did have a claw over the trigger guard of his rifle. The now revealed sniper was standing a few feet away from them, his helmet removed and his rifle lowered, though the butt still remained connected to his shoulder.

"Either you're pirates who revolted against this group or you're agents of a separate faction. I'd like to know which one."

"Well, this human here is a mercenary who was captured by them." Julland flicked his rifle at Dalora, who was not at all pleased about that. She got the impression that "mercenary" was not a good profession to have among these circles, even among this hunter, whatever group he may be from.

"I am Nalia D'sara, Council Spectre. Julland Sarrix here is one of my crew members." Nalia answered. The man simply activated his omni-tool, tapped a few instructions and then nodded in approval.

"Got your file, Nalia. As for you, whoever you are, from what I saw up on the ridge, your story checks out." the sniper answered.

"My name is Dalora." the woman said, folding her arms unhappily across her chest.

Julland analyzed the human before him and could instantly tell he was no regular sniper. The configuration of the armor looked like it was a human version of his own Predator armor, the same green camouflage and thicker build. He wondered how the human managed to get one as Armax Arsenal did not hand out its human armors cheaply. The human himself looked like most other typical males, raven black hair with equally piercing, analytical gray eyes. Short stubble cropped his jaw coupled with a full mustache. Even the soldier's weapons were different as the Turian did not recognize the model of the sniper rifle. It, as well as his pistol had also been shaded to match the camouflage of his armor. Those were the only firearms he carried, that and what seemed to be a rather large military survival knife hanging from his right hip.

"All right, tell us who you are, human." Nalia asked, also sizing up the intruder.

"Lieutenant Lucas Von Seraph, Alliance infiltrator and special forces ranger." Lucas identified himself.

"You're packing quite the heat, Lieutenant." Nalia remarked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, her face still feeling a bit singed from the heat in the initial blast.

"High explosive rounds. Sorry if you got caught in the blast radius." the lieutenant apologized.

"Indeed." Julland's metallic voice rang. An awkward silence fell on all of them as they tried to figure out where to go from here.

"It seems we won't be getting the information we wanted." Julland observed.

"Probably not. Perhaps Dalora here knows." Nalia answered, a hand on her hip.

"Know what?" Dalora asked.

"What these pirates were doing on Eletania a few days ago."

"You mean that raid on the facility? Really, I don't know. To tell you the truth, this is just a really small group from a larger fleet." Dalora answered.

"I gathered as much, but what was their objective in the first place? Who is their leader?" Nalia inquired.

"The leader of the whole fleet is a Captain Methalos. There are a lot more ships at his command, we're looking at a hundred or more. What they're after, I don't know." the woman answered.

"And you, Lieutenant, what's your interest in all this?" Julland demanded. Lucas let his rifle fold up and returned it to its proper place on his back.

"Alliance Command sent me to investigate the attack." he answered simply.

"That's it? Just you? I find that hard to believe, soldier." Julland scoffed.

"Hey, we lost a lot of ships and manpower back on the Citadel with Sovereign. Alliance Command often sends me on missions to track and monitor fringe systems. If I find something big and too large for me to handle, I radio the appropriate amount of reinforcements. If I can take care of it myself, I do that, and then radio for a pickup. It was my job to track down the raiders and eliminate them. Seems from what Dalora says, I got a lot more work to do." Lucas answered.

"How fortunate; we have the same goal too." Nalia said.

"Yes, joy." Julland mumbled sarcastically.

"Anyway, I'm _sure_ Julland would agree with me that you'll be working with us now, Lieutenant." Nalia told the infiltrator. Lucas' brows registered a small shock.

"I do not know how Alliance Command would react to that. I was assigned to work alone." Lucas defended.

"I think you misunderstood me. I am Council Spectre Nalia D'sara, and I say you are going to be working with me on finishing a common goal. Now what were you saying about Alliance Command?" Nalia asserted. Julland watched Lucas give Nalia such a cold look. He almost snickered.

"Hold on, let me radio this to brass." Lucas muttered before activating his comm link.

"Alliance Command this is Von Seraph. I've run into Spectre Nalia D'sara who is ordering that I work with her on the same mission...yes, she has the same objective as I have been assigned...understood sir...yes I understand...very well, sir. Yes, I will get that information immediately."

"Where will you be landing next?" Lucas asked. Julland and Nalia looked at him.

"What?" Julland asked.

"I assume you have a ship. Where will you be landing next?"

"Why?" Nalia inquired.

"I have a star fighter, it will probably come in handy later. Alliance needs to know where to send it so we can pick it up." Lucas explained.

"We could probably fit it in the cargo bay with the Mako..." Julland murmured.

"Noveria. We will be landing at Noveria." Nalia answered. Julland silently wondered why Noveria, as it did not seem Nalia had any plan to begin with. He kept his thoughts to himself, though. Lucas radioed the proper destination.

"Hey, what about me?" Dalora suddenly demanded. Everyone spun around to look at her as if they had forgotten she had been there.

"What about you?" Julland asked.

"I want in on this too. I want to make those scum pay for what they did." Dalora asserted.

"Can we trust that you won't run off for a higher bidder?" Julland asked, clearly not trusting her. Dalora walked up to him and grabbed the front of his armor, dragging his head down to her height.

"Trust me." Dalora snarled before letting Julland go.

"Fine, fine!" the Turian answered in exasperation.

"All right, welcome to the team you two. Talana, please bring the _Shiloh_ to our location. We're ready for a pickup. We're also have two new members on board." Nalia stated into her radio.

Elsewhere, Captain Methalos walked through another badly devastated facility. While explosions and gunfire continued to erupt around him he casually strolled up to the computer banks of the plant. His mechanical arm started to stroke the computer keys, searching for what he was looking for. Scanning the files and reports, he muttered the names he read over, hoping to come across the right one. There. It wasn't what he wanted, but it certainly pointed him in the right direction. Unfortunately, he needed more information. The cyborg thought for a moment, his mechanical arm and fingers gingerly scratching his chin. He would need to send a covert ops group of specially trained pirates. They would have to go to Noveria.

Julland glanced sideways at his new comrade in arms. Lucas was doggedly focused on the maintenance of his equipment, checking each nook and cranny of his rifle. Julland let his curiosity get the better of him. The Turian opened his mouth to speak.

"A Predator M model for a human is a hard buy." Julland stated.

"Yeah, wasn't easy. I had to save so much money for it, sell some stuff I had requisitioned on mission. It was well worth it though, you Turians know how to build armor and make sure its colors fits the environment." Lucas answered.

"I'm not very familiar with your equipment." Julland stated.

"I've been a regular buyer of Kassa Fabrications. One of the people in the company owed me a favor. Instead of stocking in on credits, I asked them to camouflage my pistol and rifle. You kind of want as much of an edge as you can when you work alone as much as I do, especially when staying hidden works in your favor. They couldn't change a Colossus armor like I wanted, so they just changed the color of the pistol and rifle."

"Speaking of which, what model is your rifle?"

"A new one, I helped design it. Its called the Dante model. If you load any round into it, you might as well be firing a Harpoon X rifle. The beauty of the Dante is the fact that it was made to fire a single round, the high explosive rounds you saw me using. The Dante is made to fire and then rapidly cool the inner components, allowing it to have the fastest cool down time of any sniper rifle. Sure, I have to wait two seconds for the rifle to cool down, but that's a lot better than any rifle you can get. Besides, it takes that long for the gun to chamber another round anyway. The only draw back is that it won't accept any other round or upgrades for that matter. Another problem is that it's slightly heavier than most other models." Lucas explained.

"Ah, but why did you choose such a weapon and how did you manage to get your hands on it?"

"Between Geth and Krogans, and the fact I can't get my hands on a Specter rifle, I was given the opportunity to help in its design. I told them what I wanted, and the high explosive round was the most powerful round I could think of, if only the the rifles wouldn't overheat after one shot, and then slowly vent the heat when they did. The Dante is considered an experimental weapon and its my job to test it." Lucas explained.

"One last question." Julland announced.

"Go ahead." Lucas answered, polishing his double edged knife.

"Most soldiers don't carry blades on them anymore. Why do you carry that around?"

"Haha, if you ask me, if a Geth destroyer or some other fiend decides to run up to you, I'd rather have these seven inches of mono molecular edge titanium than just beating them with my rifle. This is designed specifically to cut through Geth metal...with enough force, that is." Lucas answered, a small smirk on his face.

"Hmm...I like your attitude, Lieutenant." Julland conceded, finishing the maintenance on his assault rifle.

"What about you, Julland? You work for the Turian military?"

"I used to. Now I'm in C-Sec." Julland answered.

"Really? Why did you change?"

"Ahem, I was...uh, reassigned there." Julland answered quickly.

"Hm. Interesting. You like it?"

"Orders are orders, human. You can't defy your superiors."

"I suppose. What rank did you have in the service?" Lucas asked.

"Commander, just below a Captain." Julland admitted.

"Really? I suppose this means you're my superior."

"Hm. Yes, remember that Lieutenant. I outrank you." Julland smirked.

"Understood, sir."

Meanwhile, Dalora walked around on the ship, taking in the strange sights before her. The chief engineer was a restless Salarian. A many armed Hanar was running the scanners on the top deck while it seemed most of the crew was Asari and a Quarian was the ship's doctor. Finally, there was a rather eccentric Asari commanding the whole outfit. Dalora definitely did not like that layout at all. At least the Salarian in engineering, Merjj, offered to get her armor patched up. She still did not like Nalia though. There was something about that Asari that rubbed her the wrong way.

"Getting acquainted with the ship?" a voice asked from behind her. Dalora turned around only to find herself looking back at Nalia. The Asari's emerald green eyes seem to have a sly look in them.

"Yes...I see you do not have a lot of humans on board." Dalora observed. Nalia nodded.

"I do not run into that many who seem qualified for the purpose I would like them to serve." Nalia admitted.

"That's unfortunate." Dalora murmured vaguely.

"Indeed. Tell me about yourself, Dalora." Nalia said. Dalora shot a glance at her with fiery blue eyes.

"The only thing you need to know about me is that I'm a mercenary and a highly qualified biotic. Also, if you get in front of my shotgun, you're mincemeat. Nothing else is important." Dalora snapped.

"Hmm...quite a temper you have." Nalia answered quietly.

"I like my privacy, thank you, so don't you dare try to do your Asari conscious joining on me." Dalora warned. Nalia smiled knowingly.

"From one biotic to another, I won't try. At any rate, welcome aboard my ship, the _Shiloh_. You'll be taking orders from me, Dalora, like them or not. Is that understood?" Nalia stated, ominously calm.

"Understood." Dalora murmured.

"Good. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

Julland and Lucas sat around in the lower floor. After their job of cleaning the ship's armory, there was little else to do. The two had exchanged a few stories of their days in the service, Julland recalling old memories while Lucas talked about some more recent ones. However, Julland was still feeling the effects of the medical procedure and decided he would turn in early. This left Lucas to himself with not much else to do. Within a few minutes, he noticed Dalora walking up to him. The two glanced at each other. From what he understood, Dalora looked like her ancestors were Caucasian, he was going to guess mostly from what was eastern Europe. Her deep brown hair came down in a single braid halfway down her back, which was rare since most women who worked in space kept theirs short, constantly having to put on space helmets. She probably had to wrap it in a bun or something before heading out. She had a small frame in her blue jumpsuit, but she didn't seem to give any impression of weakness. The lieutenant continued to analyze her. No...there was one vibe...

"I decided I should introduce myself. I am Dalora Algre. Yes, I'm a mercenary, but I hope you realize we're both on the same side." Dalora stated. Lucas chuckled.

"I fully understand that. I don't distrust you and I probably won't unless you give me a better reason to. Lieutenant Lucas Von Seraph, Alliance military." Lucas greeted, rising up to shake her hand. Dalora was a bit surprised. As far as most Alliance soldiers went, he was lean rather than bulked up. He had recently shaved too, having got rid of the stubble, save for the mustache. He also spoke with a slight accent, though she couldn't name it. He also probably would not stand out in a crowd either since he was only slightly taller than her, and she was not all that tall to begin with. Like her, he was plainly dressed, dark blue military regulation cargo pants, military grade boots and a dark sweater with the Alliance insignia. On the collar was a small wing insignia as well as a white cross. She had no clue what any of that meant.

"Tell me where you're from, fr-, I mean, miss Algre." Lucas asked.

"Everywhere. Born, grew up, and raised in space, traveling from ship to ship. Never was in one place for too long." Dalora answered.

"Family in the military?" Lucas asked.

"No, just traveled a lot. How about you?" Dalora asked.

"Born and raised on earth. My homeland is what was called Germany. You could probably tell by my accent."

"Actually no, I-"

"Oh yes, you were in space."

"Yeah."

"Well, it was nice meeting you Dalora. I look forward to working with you. You certainly know how to use a shotgun." Lucas smirked.

"Thank you, Lucas. We're the only humans on board, by the way." Dalora informed.

"I kind of gathered that. Ah well, I'm sure it'll be fun." Lucas shrugged. Dalora said nothing but waved before walking off. Something about her lack of response did not strike him right.

"Ach, been away too long from folks." Lucas mumbled to himself. He got back down on the crate and opened up a link on the extranet using his omni-tool. He found something interesting to read, which he started to murmur to himself when he heard footsteps again. This time, it was Nalia. Lucas rose and saluted.

"Captain, I assume?" Lucas asked.

"At least on board. I'm not regular military. Call me Nalia." the Asari smiled. Lucas bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"As you wish."

"I looked into your file. You have quite the record, Lieutenant." Nalia purred. Lucas got very uncomfortable. Something about this Asari was getting him tense.

"Uh...did you find anything undesirable?"

"No. You have a pristine record. You didn't tell me you're also a combat pilot." Nalia said.

"I don't fly as often as I do special missions these days." Lucas admitted, scratching his neck nervously.

"But you were still a good pilot. You're a fighter ace, total number of confirmed kills classified. You were awarded the distinguished flying cross and the silver star for your actions at Torfan." Nalia stated, walking closer to him. Lucas took a step back.

"I...uh, did what anyone would have done under those circumstances. I'm not exactly a hero, some of it was also in my best interest. Lot of men died...God had mercy on me..." Lucas sputtered.

"Hmm...so you say. I like to know my crew, Lucas. What else can you tell me?" Nalia asked softly. Lucas felt like the temperature went up by several hundred degrees.

"Uh...I'm sure my file sums up everyth-" Lucas suddenly was jarred when he saw Nalia's pupils suddenly dilate as her eyes seemed to turn black and a powerful force swept him. Somehow before his mind got hijacked, he realized that this was an Asari conscious joining.

White mountains, green hills-chants, sacred chants-crucifix-dusty books, big library-Son, are you sure-Welcome to boot camp, you little worms-Your target will be-gunfire-Padre, padre, please, I'm dying-For your exemplary actions-Silence, silence, silence...

"Ahh!" Lucas called out, suddenly feeling his mind plop back in his control. Nalia seemed to scratch the folds of skin along her head before smiling knowingly at him.

"Hmmm...interesting childhood. Very deep convictions. Strong morals. You're quite the character, Lieutenant. Good to have you aboard..." Nalia purred before walking off. Meanwhile, Lucas felt very dizzy. His mind desperately trying to unscramble itself, he decided he should collapse in a sleeper pod. He stumbled to the elevator. Dalora watched the Alliance solider force himself to operate the machine. She scowled resentfully.

Julland opened an eye, still unable to fall asleep. He was quite surprised to see the lieutenant stagger and crash into the pod next to him. Julland raised an eyebrow.

"You okay there, Lieutenant?" Julland's gravelly metallic voice asked.

"Ye-yeah. I'm fine." Lucas sputtered. Julland thought for a moment.

"Did Nalia happen to mind probe you?" the Turian asked.

"Yeah...I understand how it works...thought if you don't mind me being blunt, I feel like I got mind raped." Lucas answered. Did the Turian just chuckle?

"I understand. She did that to me too, once."

"R-really? Why?"

"There's something you should know about Nalia, Lucas."

"What's that?"

"She's not your typical Asari."


	8. Chapter 7

Lucas woke feeling much better. He saw that Julland's pod was empty. Somehow, he was not surprised that the Turian was already awake. He heard some slight tapping and metallic prodding followed by occasional buttons being tapped. Lucas wondered what was the cause of the noise and cautiously stepped out of the pod. He was surprised to find Merjj the Salarian engineer tinkering with the electronics nearby.

"Morning, Merjj." Lucas saluted the Salarian.

"Indeed, greetings to you, human. How long were you going to stay in that pod? I've finished five projects in the time you slept." Merjj chuckled.

"Well, I certainly wished I only needed an hour's sleep to be refreshed." Lucas answered.

"Careful what you wish for, human. I repay my numerous hours of being awake by dying in my fourth decade."

"A fair warning. Merjj, how far out are we from Noveria?" Lucas asked.

"I do not know. It would be best to ask the helmsman on that. You would be wise to join me on the way up. They are serving what you humans call breakfast at this moment. Food break for me." Merjj announced, putting his tools down. The two made their way to the mess table. There were already a few others there. Julland, Dalora and Dolphos had already started their meal.

"I believe the proper expression is 'good morning,' Lucas." Julland stated awkwardly.

"Correct. You too, commander." Lucas answered.

"Well, Lieutenant, that is no longer my-"

"Ah, don't worry about it." Lucas dismissed.

"This one most graciously welcomes you two humans again." Dolphos stated before rising from the table.

"Coffee, Lucas?" Dalora offered quietly.

"You know, I could go for a cup. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Dolphos, you know how far out we are from Noveria?" the large jellyfish paused at the base of the stairs.

"...This one thoughtfully recalls that before it went to get breakfast, it noticed a monitor stating the estimated time arrival for another two hours and forty eight minutes. This one then humbly estimates we are several minutes above two hours." Dolphos answered.

"Thank you, carry on."

"This one is pleased to help and takes your leave."

"Got to love Hanar." Lucas chuckled.

"I've met a few good ones." Julland commented.

"Hmmm." Dalora murmured quietly. Lucas wasn't sure if she was agreeing.

Soon after, Julland left his chair and went up to the bridge. Nalia was hovering over Talana's shoulder as they made their final approach on the icy planet. Talana was already briskly communicating with the Noveria approach control. She looked up at Nalia.

"Finally, they've given us clearance." the navigator sighed in relief.

"Yes, if you're on Spectre business you have to plot your arrival in advance if you want to avoid the trouble later, as well as those pesky weapons checks." Nalia stated.

"Nalia, I don't believe you have told me why we're going to Noveria. Why here of all places?" the Turian asked.

"Noveria is where all the corporations and manufacturers keep their dirty secrets. This is the one place where we'll get a chance to get ahead of these pirates, not follow their path of destruction." Nalia smirked.  
"Ah. I'll have to admit, that's pretty clever, Nalia." Julland complimented.

"And that's why I'm a Spectre." this time, even Talana secretly rolled her eyes.

"Have the lieutenant and mercenary ready. You three will be accompanying me when we land. Talana, make sure Merjj picks up our new toy when we're at the dock." Nalia ordered.

"Captain...what new toy?" Talana asked, unsure.

"I believe Lieutenant Von Seraph's fighter will be waiting for us."

"Oh yes, it'll be taken care of, my lady." Talana answered.

Within a few hours, the _Shiloh_ had docked at one of the minor space ports on the planet. Nalia specifically avoided Port Hansen since it was one of the more major docks and that would only attract more attention. Hopefully, security would be a little more lax around here.

"We will honor your right to carry weapons here, Spectre. However, you must honor our regulations in that your weapons must be registered and recorded here at customs. Please hand over your weapons for verification." a serious looking Turian guard informed the party as they arrived.

"Oh, very well." Nalia sighed, still managing a smile. She handed over her pistol.

"Spectre gear pistol. Verifying your license...all right, it all checks out. Next." the Turian handed Nalia back her weapon and waved Dalora over. The mercenary dropped her shotgun and pistol on the counter.

"Karpov pistol and Sokolov shotgun...registered to...a miss Lisa Bertrand..." the Turian murmured. The guard did not notice the alarmed glances Julland, Lucas and Nalia shot at Dalora, who very subtly shrugged.

"Yep, the visual identification matches. Next!" the guard called out, handing back Dalora her weapons. Dalora sheepishly gathered her stuff while Julland promptly piled up his assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle and pistol on the counter. After a moment's thought, he also placed eight grenades on the counter.

"Soldier, huh?" the Turian guard asked.

"Gee, how'd you know?" Julland grumbled sarcastically.

"I will need your omni-tool as well." the guard informed belatedly. Julland handed it over with a grumpy sigh.

* * *

At Port Hansen, a group of twenty casually dressed passengers arrived on the popular commercial ferry shuttle. Unknown to customs, one of them was getting a radio transmission into his ear piece through a private channel.

"Very shortly our Batarian friends will drop off your equipment on the nearby mountain range. They will deploy it in a pod so the planetary air control will just think its a small meteor or space debris. It will be your job to pick it up and continue your mission from there."

One of the passengers nudged the other and whispered to him.

"You get the message, Faulks?"

"Of course, I'm the leader of the group. This'll be a whole lot easier than trying to smuggle it past customs."

* * *

"These are not regulation markings on your weapons. Did you illegally modify them?" the guard inquired, looking at the camouflage pattern of Lucas' rifle and pistol.

"No, these were specially ordered. Made that way by Kassa Fabrications." Lucas explained.

"I will need to see your license." the guard stated.

"I don't have them on me. I was in the middle of a mission when I was interrupted. You can check my file, I'm sure it explains-"

"I have already checked your file. Most of it was classified."

"So you know I am Alliance special forces. My equipment may-"

"When a customs agent asks you a question, you answer it. Do not try to dodge it. I will have to verify this with Alliance records. Do you have the request key?" the guard asked.

"Its located on my omni-tool. If you gave that back to me, I could show it to you." Lucas answered.

"I am afraid I can't do that. That's against regulations."

"Then you'll have to look that up yourself." Lucas stated. The guard gave him an icy glare before doing it himself. They waited for a few minutes.

"Very well, you story checks out. Now to actually verify these weapons...This rifle is of no known model." the guard glared at Lucas again.

"Check with Kassa Fabrications. It's a new experimental model. The serial number is right there on the stock." Lucas sighed, pointing at the proper location. The stiff guard typed in the proper digits.

"Dante Rifle, model number 4938902, anti vehicle weapon." the guard read, not at all pleased with the type of ordnance Lucas was carrying.

"And what about this dagger?" the inquisitive Turian harassed.

"...Kassa Fabrications..." Lucas sighed exasperatedly. The Turian once again went back to his database.

"All right, it all checks out. Here is your equipment. Enjoy your stay!" the Turian waved them off.

When they were far from the customs office and well into the base, the questions started. Nalia was the first to speak up.

"Lisa Bertrand, huh?"

"False ID. Something necessary for my job." Dalora justified.

"What about that anti vehicle weapon? I thought you said it was a sniper rifle." Julland asked Lucas.

"Due to weapon specifications and the fact that my rifle will only accept high explosive rounds, it had to be classified like that. Long standing specifications can not designate my rifle as merely anti-personnel."

"Seems like you humans have quite a few surprises on you." Nalia chuckled.

"Right, right. Now what are we going to do from here?" Lucas asked, trying to change the subject.

"Follow my lead." Nalia stated calmly. Julland got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Nalia had taken her time gathering information. They first started by casually collecting the locations of the nearby research facilities and finding out which buildings belonged to which corporations. Quick looking through public access information allowed them to determine the hours and shifts of the research personnel and maintenance workers. Security staff was not disclosed, but Nalia told Lucas and Julland that they would have to determine that later, or try to find a way to work around it. Finally, the Asari Spectre told them that they had to go pick up any "auxiliary information."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lucas asked.

"Its amazing what you can learn at a party. Why do you think there's always talk about information to be given at a cocktail party, not all of it is completely useless." Nalia answered nonchalantly.

"Wait, you think business executives are just going to blurt company secrets at any social occasion? Its going to take a lot just to get their lips to loosen up." Lucas argued.

"The Lieutenant is right, Nalia." Julland agreed. Nalia gave them a sly look.

"Really? You want to bet?" the Asari challenged. Lucas and Julland glanced at each other.

"No."

"Ah, you boys are no fun." Nalia chided.

"Could we just get to the point?" Dalora pouted, arms akimbo.

"There's a night club over there. Seems to be the most popular in the station. You all walk in there and try to listen in on conversation." Nalia directed before walking the opposite direction.

"Wait, where you are going?" Julland demanded.

"I'm going to get into something more comfortable." Nalia grinned. The other three sighed.

Inside, the night club was an odd clash of organized and yet chaotic. A dance floor was off to the side, though most people were lounged around circular tables talking quietly while odd morsels of food laid half eaten in front of them. The air was a scattering of bright neon lights with darker lights prevailing over the overall atmosphere. An Asari waitress showed the three to a table before taking their orders. She left the complimentary odd bits of finger food before walking off to get their drinks. Julland and Lucas looked like they were very uncomfortable. Dalora looked very disinterested if not a tad bit bored.

"I can't believe that on some world as cold as Noveria, you'd find a place like this." Dalora grumbled.

"I kind of forgot there were places like this." Lucas announced. Dalora shot him a skeptical look.

"Don't play innocent. Never went out with your soldier buddies to the bar?" the mercenary asked.

"I was in a different kind of soldier corp. We couldn't really find our way to a bar." Lucas answered.

"Sure." Dalora murmured skeptically.

"Believe it or not, its the only explanation you're getting."

"Whatever. Do you think Nalia really will be able to get any stray information?" Dalora asked Julland.

"Yes, actually. She probably will." the Turian admitted.

"But how?"

"She knows how to work places like these...in more ways than one." the Turian answered cryptically.

"I think I see what you mean." Lucas suddenly stated.

"Hm?" Dalora murmured and then followed the lieutenant's gaze. At the entrance was Nalia in an elegant, expensive looking, if rather suggestive, dress. She simply gave them a knowing glance before going a completely different direction.

"Told you." Julland muttered.

"That's disgusting." Dalora grumbled. The three could not get their gaze off Nalia who certainly held the attention of a lot more patrons in the club than just her colleagues. The resourceful Asari was also quick to get to work, hunting down the top looking executives and melting into their circles, even shamelessly sitting in the laps of a few less sober ones.

"Um...I'm going to go listen in somewhere else." Julland announced. After he left, Dalora and Lucas were left to themselves. Dalora continued to sulk in her seat while the lieutenant sipped at his carbonated water.

"What is it about Asari that men find irresistible?" Dalora suddenly blurted. Lucas glanced at her.

"What?"

"You heard me. Why do you men drool over the nearest Asari that walks by?" the mercenary demanded.

"I wasn't drooling." Lucas defended.

"Whatever, just in general." Dalora pressed.

"I can't speak for men in general." Lucas retorted.

"Really? So you don't find Asari attractive?"

"There's a difference between finding something pleasing and acting on it." Lucas answered.

"So you do have a thing for Asari." Dalora snapped.

"What? Why are you exaggerating everything I say?" Lucas asked, completely of guard.

"Fine, you do, you don't, it doesn't matter. What is it about them that men go nuts over, or is it anything that resembles a woman and you men will start chasing them?" the persistent woman demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe its the exotic skin color or the big eyes with the radiant color iris."

"So if I dyed my skin blue, I'd get your attention?"

"No, I'd find that a major turn off...that and the skin folds on the head..."

"So you just like their eyes?" Dalora asked skeptically. Lucas looked at her, clearly showing he was annoyed.

"I don't like where this conversation is going." Lucas stated firmly.

"Fine...fine..." Dalora relented. Lucas looked at her and touched her hand to get her attention.

"Listen, tell me about yourself."

"What about me do you want to know?" she noticed his eyes probe her, listening with his eyes and yet somehow they seemed lifeless. It unnerved her.

"Tell me about your work. I've spent so much time fighting mercenaries I never expected to see one on my side." Lucas admitted.

"You know how a lot of your work is classified?" Dalora asked.

"Ja?"

"Same here." the woman answered abruptly.

"Very well. How about your family?"

"Never knew them. Grew up as an orphan. Learned to look after myself from a young age. As soon as I could I was getting odd jobs on ships. Soon, mercenary work paid the best for what I was doing. Did what I could in between...though, nothing like our current captain is doing." Dalora stated. Lucas chuckled.

"How about you? Tell me about your family."

"Haha, I still let mother and father know I'm still alive when I can. They know just before I'm about to go out on a mission and when I get back from one."

"Seems like you're close to them." Dalora said.

"Not really, though they are still concerned and want to make sure they still have a son." Lucas answered.

"I'm sure its more than that."

"Not really, not after I disappointed them pretty badly." Lucas muttered nonchalantly, finishing off his seltzer. It was at that moment Julland stepped in.

"I think she's got all the information she wants." the Turian announced, motioning with his head at the entrance. They turned around just to catch a glance of Nalia exiting.

"How about we get out here?" Dalora offered.

"Indeed." Lucas answered.

Back on the _Shiloh_, everyone gathered around Dolphos who had brought up a 3D image of the proper building and the geographical contour around it. Apparently, Nalia's questionable behavior had proven to be a whole lot more fruitful than anyone would have guessed. Devlon Industries' research building and office was located a simple five miles away, built right next to, if not into, a short mountain ridge. The information they had gathered told them when they should strike and the time windows they had between shifts. Nalia's escapades informed them where they should strike. The main terminals that accessed the computer databases were on the fifteenth floor. Dolphos even noted that this was within a convenient altitude that a sniper on the nearby ridge to watch. Now, it was only a matter of how the plan would be executed. They all looked to Nalia.

"We can't just waltz in there expecting to get information. The entire reason we played low this whole time is because I know corporate bigheads have nothing but red tape and stiff lips if you try to approach them directly. Julland and Lucas, you're both trained with sniper rifles. I want you two to head out on that ridge and watch the fifteenth floor. You will let Dalora and I know what's going on. You will also provide us support if, goddess forbid, things turn into a fight." Nalia told them.

"How will you two get in unnoticed?" Lucas asked.

"Dalora, as we've learned, you've worked with false identities. Is there way you could plant fake identifications for you and myself?" Nalia asked.

"I can plant an ID, yes. Unfortunately, I can't hack and decrypt computers well enough to give us clearance, or that sort of thing." Dalora informed.

"You're going to have to walk us through that part, Lieutenant." Nalia stated.

"I'm not all that comfortable with illegally hacking into corporate systems." Lucas mumbled.

"Ah yes, our reason of morality. I understand your qualms, but this is for a good cause." Nalia rationalized.

"Like that's a good excuse. Regardless, I don't think I have much choice, and you're right, we'll probably save more lives this way. It will be done. Perhaps my sin will be less." Lucas relented.

"Thank you." Nalia stated.

"Escape plan?" Julland suddenly pointed out.

"I assume you mean in the event of being exposed and it turns into a worse case scenario and we have to get out of there quickly?" Nalia asked for verification.

"Precisely." Julland answered.

"I don't know. See any good ideas, Dolphos?" the Asari asked the Hanar tech expert.

"This one sees that there is a tram line that will immediately lead to the space port where we are stationed. Alternatively, there are several ground rovers also at the base of the station. The valiant sniper team may find these useful in the event of a mission catastrophe." Dolphos informed.

"Sounds good to me. We will aim to crack the information at the shift change at 1600 hours tomorrow. Any questions?" Nalia asked. There were none.

"Dismissed." Nalia declared.

"Come on, Lieutenant. We have to get out there early." Julland announced.

"My thoughts exactly." Lucas agreed.

"Why you boys heading out so early?" Nalia asked.

"There's heavy snowfall expected tonight. We have to get there and bunker down so the snow will cover our tracks and conceal us." Julland explained. Nalia looked at them like they were out of their minds.

"Its so we don't get spotted. Don't give them a hint we're there. Cover any disturbances in the snow." Lucas listed. Nalia sighed.

"Do what you feel is necessary. Just don't freeze to death." Nalia told them.


	9. Chapter 8

"_Commander, because of your actions the entire line fell. You disobeyed a direct order and acted unbecoming an officer. The mission failed. Although we can not place all the blame for that on you, you certainly contributed a part in the loss. Your only excuse was to save a fellow solider who had not requested help and was considered dead. Under different circumstances, this would have been commendable. Nonetheless, we have no choice but to discipline you for your lack of discipline and the catastrophic results that followed..."_

Everything was working according to plan. Julland and Lucas had gone and hiked most of last night through the snow and up to the mountain peak. They had little to worry about under the cover of darkness. Arriving at the proper location in the early hours of the morning, they hunkered down, burying themselves in the snow while a decent snowfall covered any tracks and only further concealed them. Now it was a matter of keeping still and staying awake. Thank God for the invention of stims.

As the night turned to dawn, and the dawn to late morning, Julland and Lucas had worked off any feeling of drowsiness. They watched the building through their scopes, doing their best not to disturb the snow, trying to remain hidden in plain sight. Alas, military surveillance is slow work, especially when one is forced to remain still. Eventually, they tried and make conversation.

"So...that Dalora girl..." Julland muttered.

"What about her?" Lucas asked.

"She seems angry." Julland noted.

"She just seems that way in contrast to Nalia." Lucas rationalized.

"She did give you a hard time last night."

"You heard that?"

"My hearing is better than you think, human."

"Oh"

"Yeah." A few more minutes of silence passed. The boredom was all prevailing. Julland broke it again.

"Are most human women that irritable?" Julland asked out of curiosity.

"I wouldn't say she's irritable..." Lucas answered.

"You sure?"

"Well, regardless, you really can't take a single specimen and expect it to be a good representative of a species as a whole." Lucas explained.

"Very true, but there must be a few rules, are there not?" Julland asked.

"Well, sort of. I'm just a soldier, not a anthropologist. I mean, there's one saying human guys have, though how reliable is it is debatable."

"How's that?"

"Sometimes if a woman's a little more agitated than usual, we usually assume that they're in the bad time of the month."

"Bad time of the month?" Julland inquired.

"I'd explain it to you, but I'd have to give you a crash course in human biology." Lucas warned.

"Oh for the love of everything good, spare me the details, human. Ever since I had to help that one Krogan female who spontaneously went into labor on the Citadel, I promised I'd never learn more about other species' biology than I'd have to." Julland shuttered.

"Wait...but I thought Krogan births were limited." Lucas said.

"They are. The Krogan fetus died soon afterwards. I went through all that trauma for nothing. I tell you Lieutenant, try to imagine what an angry Krogan female going into labor is like."

"Oh God have mercy...I pray I never have to see that..." Lucas murmured.

"Pray hard, Lieutenant. I still have nightmares." It was about that moment that the lieutenant suddenly realized they had not taken into account what the Krogan thought.

* * *

Nalia and Dalora stepped off the tram line and walked inside the facility. They had twenty minutes to get to their destination before they hit their time slot to hack into the facility. Dalora was able to fabricate false identities and plant them into the facility roster so they would be able to get in with relative ease and little suspicion. All that remained was getting the proper medical smocks commonly worn doctors and scientists. It was one thing to get them, it was another to be comfortable wearing them.

"I can't believe scientists work in these things. They're so uncomfortable." Dalora complained.

"Well, at least they can be flattering on you." Nalia shrugged.

"Oh come on, you can't possibly be thinking about that now." Dalora grumbled.

"Why not?" Nalia smirked.

"We're suppose to be on a mission." Dalora snapped.

"Doesn't mean we can't have fun." Nalia retorted.

"Wearing these things are not fun!"

"You're just mad that they make your hips look fat."

"What!?" Dalora cried.

* * *

"Heads up Lieutenant. Recovery team has arrived." Julland announced.

"I got a visual on them. Everything is proceeding as planned." Lucas added.

"Can't say Nalia really looks like a scientist, even if she is wearing the part." Julland observed.

"Well between you and me, I'd say Dalora looks cute in it."

"Keep it professional, Lieutenant." Julland murmured.

"Sir, yes sir." Lucas answered. A few minutes later, their communication array chirped. It was Nalia.

"Maintenance team, please get started on getting our keys into this place." that was the signal.

Lucas immediately got to work on his omni-tool, trying to find a way to hack into the Devlon Industries database. A few tense seconds later, he found Nalia's and Dalora's aliases. Now was the hard part of trying to grant them access without setting off any security devices and harder still, trying to make it look all consistent, nothing that would stand out if anyone went by later and checked the statistics manually.

"Twenty feet to door, almost ready maintenance?" Nalia's voice asked over the comm.

"Stand by." Lucas muttered into his mouthpiece. He worked the electronics furiously, changing data and covering tracks.

"We are at the door." Nalia announced.

"One more second...got it. You are go." Lucas responded in triumph. Through his scope, Lucas watched the Asari and mercenary stroll into the room and got to work on the computer terminals. They had ten minutes to get what they wanted and leave.

"Lieutenant, we have a problem..." Julland informed.

"Where at?"

"Check the bottom floor. You see what I see?" the Turian asked. Lucas shifted his rifle.

"...Aw crud..." Lucas growled.

* * *

Nalia and Dalora nervously shifted around, waiting for the proper information to appear on the console. Hopefully within a few more minutes they would be able to download all the data that were relevant to what those fringe facilities were working on. Perhaps they could figure out a pattern or turn up what the pirates were looking for.

"What do you think they're after?" Dalora asked.

"Maybe some rumored piece of technology. Maybe nothing at all. However, we need to get all the locations of the facilities in the area. You don't ask the company because they will always keep secrets. This is the surefire way of getting the location of all the facilities and then some." Nalia explained.

"Makes sense." Dalora murmured.

"Maintenance team to Recovery. We have a wrench in the system. Competitors on the bottom floor. Neutrals in danger. How should we proceed?" Lucas voice radioed through the comm.

"...How could there possibly be others trying to get the same information...?" Dalora sputtered, dumbfounded.

"Ignore them, Maintenance. Just make sure they don't approach our location." Nalia radioed.

"I repeat, Recovery. There are neutrals in the area. They are in grave and immediate danger." Lucas' voice protested, completely laying it all out in the open and ignoring the rules of keeping communication vague.

"My order still holds." Nalia answered firmly, furiously trying to collect all the data she could.

* * *

Up on the peak, Lucas and Julland silently watched through their scopes as a few scientists were ruthlessly thrown to the floor and lined up. They were about to be killed execution style. Any battle hardened soldier who had seen a pirate raid had seen similar scenes before, at least the aftermaths anyway.

"I don't like this. Not being able to do a single darn thing about this..." Lucas growled.

"Lieutenant..." Julland started.

"I know, orders." Lucas fumed.

"Yeah, about orders. You know why I got transferred to C-Sec, Lieutenant?" Julland inquired.

"Why is that?"

"I disobeyed an order. I saved a life, but I still disobeyed an order. I aggravated an already badly lost mission, but I saved a life that would have been lost needlessly." Julland admitted.

"Are you suggesting something, Commander?" Lucas asked.

"Absolutely not, human." Julland answered. Lucas tried to figure out if he was being sarcastic. He started to weigh his options and the consequences. He formulated his answer. The Dante rifle spat a flare of orange red.

"About time you did that." Julland sneered, squeezing the trigger of his own rifle.

* * *

Nalia's head jerked around, hearing the deep explosions echoing from the mountainside outside the window. She stared peeved out the window.

"Fine, go ahead, be heroes why don't you? Idiots!" Nalia screeched. She went back to the terminal and started wrapping up what she wanted.

"Maintenance crew, make sure to keep at least one bastard alive!" Nalia yelled through her comm link.

"You might get more than one. We got a new problem." Julland responded.

"What new problem?" the Asari demanded through clenched teeth.

"Oh...crap..." Dalora whispered, staring out the window. Nalia followed her gaze. She immediately cursed.

* * *

"Where in the inferno did they get an assault rover?!" Lucas screeched.

"Be darned if I know! Then again, you see them using these things all the time, why not now?" Julland snapped. The two snipers were having a field day nailing the bewildered intruders at the bottom of the building when they heard the dull roar of an engine approaching. They glanced behind themselves to see the sight of an older model ground rover, retrofitted with a large cannon on its platform. It was also carrying several heavily armed pirates. Before the two soldiers could even react, the rover opened fire on the building. A patch of the defenseless facility exploded in a ball of fire.

"They haven't seen us-yet." Julland observed.

"And they'll probably get Nalia and Dalora soon if we don't hurry." Lucas added.

"Glad your rifle is classified as anti vehicle." Julland murmured.

"Just because its classified as that doesn't mean it'll do it easily." Lucas snapped.

"That's why we're going to have to work together."

"Got a plan?"

"You're the special forces ranger, don't you have a few special tools to take care of this?" Julland demanded.

"Give me a moment..." Lucas muttered. Suddenly, his omni-tool glowed and minifactured a small sphere in his hand. The lieutenant muttered something before hurling the metallic orb at the rover. Upon contact, the ball exploded and the machine immediately fell silent, sizzling as sparks flew off the mainframe.

"The weapons have been sabotaged. Hurry before they get back online. I'll try to overload their shields." Lucas ordered, minifacturing another tech mine. Meanwhile, Julland pulled out his trusty assault rifle and unleashed chaos on their target.

"Recovery team, you better be getting out of there!" Julland yelled into his comm link. Thankfully, Nalia's sarcastic voice responded.

"You got any other inspirational suggestions there, Turian?"

"Yes. Hurry!"

* * *

At the bottom of the building, the group of elite privateers started to realize they were no longer pinned down. A muffled cascade of explosions roared outside. Whatever had been firing on them was now preoccupied with their separate assault team. Of course, now their plan of a high powered distraction that would wipe out most of the evidence they might leave behind was in jeopardy. Faulks, the leader, thought calmly as he extracted the data he wanted. Perhaps there was a way they could still leave with a bang...

* * *

"Lieutenant, what are you waiting for? Fire!" Julland shouted. While he had been laying down covering fire, not only for his comrade's but his very life, the Alliance sniper was taking his good long time getting a shot off. Lucas still was hesitating. He had not fired yet.

"Give me a second..." Lucas radioed to the Turian. To Julland's surprise and dismay, Lucas leaped up from the snow and ran off.

"What are you doing, Lieutenant!?" Julland hollered.

"Finding a better angle!" Lucas yelled back.

"For what!?" the Turian screamed. He got no answer, just Lucas crouching in the snow, always moving on his feet to avoid stray gunfire. To make matters worse, Julland noticed the electronic interference starting to wear off on the rover. With an electronic whir, the rover's gun systems went back to life. The pirates on board started firing back with a vengeance. As the desperate Turian furiously held onto his ground, he realized too late where the rover's gun was pointing. Too late he heard the screaming beeps of his rifle telling him it had overheated. He looked up at the large cannon pointed at him and too late heard a massive roar.

* * *

Nalia and Dalora stormed into the first floor and realized it was freezing. It took a moment or two to realize that this was because the windows had been shot through, exposing the interior to the snowy environment. The two women searched their surroundings trying to find the invaders or at least signs of survivors. Within seconds, they saw a few petrified scientists and lab workers trembling on the ground.

"What did they take?" Nalia bluntly asked out loud. No one said anything coherent, just confused whimpers and a couple of shaky shrugged shoulders. One pointed at the computers.

"Where did they go?" Dalora demanded, knowing they could probably catch up and take them down. They noticed a few pointing outside. The two biotics hurried to the window panes and scrambled out, leaving the terrified scientists to themselves. A few cautiously got up, believing the danger to be over. After a moment, a few even started to sigh in relief. Suddenly, Dalora and Nalia dashed back inside the building, their bodies glowing with biotic barriers cast over themselves.

"Get out of here, now! They have the Makos and their aiming the cannon this way!" Dalora screamed.

* * *

Julland opened an eye, wondering if most of his body had been blown away and he had not realized it yet, or if somehow the stars were in alignment and the rover had somehow missed him completely. To his surprise, it was neither. The rover was an angrily burning wreck, vile black smoke streaming into the sky. Lucas walked up next to him, his rifle resting on his shoulder in triumph.

"I hit their fuel cells." the sniper announced simply.

"Next time, do it a little bit faster, Lieutenant." Julland mumbled.

"There's no way we're going to get that one down quickly." Lucas announced, pointing at the base of the mountain. They could tell the Mako was hijacked by the wrong team. They helplessly watched the first floor erupt in a fireball before the Mako vehicle sped off into the snow drifts. Julland activated his comm link.

"Maintenance to Recovery, state your status, over." Julland said. There was a moment of silence. No response.

"Maintenance to Recovery, do you read me?" Julland inquired again. Still no response.

"Come in, Maintenance. Please tell me you're still there." Julland begged, getting desperate now.

"Sorry about that, the blast caused some interference. We're still here, but a lot of the scientists are not in good shape. You boys better get down here. We're going to need your medi-gel packs." Dalora's voice answered.


	10. Chapter 9

"I'm happily surprised you're all back with scarcely a bruise. However, how in the galaxy have you consumed all that medi-gel?" Jima asked, bewildered as the four walked by and depleted her dispenser of the precious fluid.

"Want a simple explanation, doc?" Dalora offered.

"Sure, Miss Algre." Jima responded.

"Other people got blown up for us." the mercenary answered.

"Oh...oh my..." the startled Quarian raised her hand over her audio speaker just as the party left as quickly as they arrived.

The four then filed into the communications center where the waiting Dolphos negotiated with the numerous computer monitors, struggling to bring up all the information. The Hanar got everything to his liking and waited for someone to say something. As usual, it was Nalia who started the meeting.

"Well, you boys got what you wanted. We saved a couple of scientists." Nalia started.

"It was the right thing to do." Lucas argued.

"And it also startled those raiders. We could have sprung a trap around them and captured them, sadly losing a few lives in the process, but finding out who sent them a whole lot faster." Nalia snapped.

"Don't try to argue with her, Lieutenant." Julland whispered to him.

"However, we were able to pull computer access records from the terminals. Apparently, the invaders had tried to access a more specific file than we did." the Asari continued.

"What was that?" Dalora asked.

"Testing reports. Dolphos here is still rapidly scanning them to find out what they might point to. Most interesting to note though, is that these files were heavily encrypted and under many layers of cyber security." Nalia answered.

"Have you found anything yet, Hanar?" Julland inquired.

"This one is most sorry that it is unable to report anything yet. However, it meekly offers that it has noticed numerous mentions of a small moon located in the Terminus systems." Dolphos answered.

"We'll take care of that later. In the meantime, I have requested flight records from Noveria control. They have been able to track down the fleeing raiders. Until we know what specific moon to investigate next, we're going to try and take that group out first." Nalia said darkly. She looked around, as if expecting questions. Since no one said anything, Nalia continued.

"All stations have been put on high alert. Expect a small rumble in the near future. Lieutenant, I would suggest you inspect your fighter in our cargo hold and be prepared to use it at a moment's notice. You're dismissed." Nalia told them.

Dalora followed Lucas towards the cargo bay. Clearly he could not wait to see his star fighter. Dalora never understood what the expression was suppose to mean, but perhaps the look on the lieutenant's face had the same glee that was suppose be like "a kid on Christmas day." Perhaps it was with good reason. The fighter was sleek and impressive. The closed hatch doors were the only hints where the missile banks were and a row of slits along the bottom of the nose signaled where the cannon ports were. Lucas, still grinning from ear to ear, climbed up into the cockpit and surveyed his old workplace. Still curious, Dalora followed but waited out of the cockpit, leaning on the edge of the canopy rail to peer inside.

"You never told me you were a pilot." Dalora stated.

"There's a lot of things about me you don't know." Lucas chuckled.

"Well maybe if you talked to me more..." Dalora hinted, sounding slightly unhappy.

"Dalora, we've only been around each other for two days." Lucas reminded.

"But do you seriously have to spend all that time cleaning weapons and hanging out with the Turian?"

"His name is Julland, and you should know how much maintenance it takes to keep a gun operating." Lucas reminded.

"I guess..."

"...But you're right. Perhaps I have been ignoring you. What would you like to know about me?" Lucas asked, as he went down the monitors and dials, making sure everything was working.

"First of all, where'd you get that?" Dalora pointed at a strange trinket lying off to the side of the cockpit. Lucas picked it up.

"So here's where I left it..." Lucas chuckled. It was a rosary, his very own.

"I have one myself, but what are they called?" Dalora asked, pulling out a rosary from her jumpsuit.

"I take it you're not Catholic." Lucas inquired.

"How many times must I tell you? You don't get a lot of information about what you earth borns would know about when you're a spacer like me. All I know is that these things had a lot to do with God. A God that would forgive you when no one else would. I'm sure that God would also know how much forgiving I needed...a false ID being the least of them." Dalora explained. Lucas looked at her.

"They're called rosaries. Its a type of guide to a meditation. I'll teach you how to do it sometime."

"You know a lot about these things, then?"

"Know? Dalora, I was a Catholic student of theology studying to be a priest. The rosary was the least I had to remember." Lucas stated.

"You're a priest?" Dalora asked, clearly shocked.

"Oh gosh no. Just a student. I never made it into the priesthood."

"You weren't good enough?"

"In a way. I never completed it. I quit."

"Why?"

"I had my doubts. I did not think I would have made a good priest. I didn't believe I had the right personality and I wasn't sure if I was completely convinced of what I was learning anyway." Lucas admitted.

"But you still believe in God?"

"Oh yeah. My doubts went away pretty quickly, but I was already a combat pilot...and mom and dad were already disappointed by my decision anyway. The Alliance saw my resume though. For whatever reason, they gave me the privileges of chaplain. Guess they had a lot of empty ranks to fill."

"What made your doubts go away?" Dalora asked curiously.

"They say there are no Atheists in foxholes. I was only in one foxhole but that alone was bad enough. Most people know it by the name 'Torfan.'" Dalora was staring at him, clearly shocked by everything.

"Near Catholic priest, combat pilot and Torfan veteran. Anything else I should know about you?" Dalora inquired.

"Hmmm...you probably already heard I'm a fighter ace...uh...nope, nothing comes to mind."

"I never would have guessed all of that about you." Dalora admitted.

"Well...I didn't ask for any of it. Looking back, I probably should have listened to mom and dad and stayed in the priesthood." Lucas explained.

"But then you would not have saved those lives that you did today." Dalora reminded him.

"Hmmm...sometimes I wonder if I do more harm than good." The two sat in silence for a moment. Dalora looked at his rosary again.

"What is yours made out of?"

"Carbon...except for the cross. That's made out of iron."

"There a reason for all that?" the mercenary asked.

"Yes actually. Carbon because that what man is made from. "Dust you are, and unto dust, you shall return." The iron because if you tap it right, it'll ring." Lucas explained.

"What kind of reason is that?"

"There's a Latin saying, 'What is done now echoes through eternity.'" Lucas answered.

"That's...poetic." Any further conversation was interrupted by an urgent message sent into the P.A system.

"Lieutenant Lucas Von Seraph, prepare your fighter. You will be jettisoned in two minutes. We are approaching hostiles."

* * *

A few minutes later, Lucas' fighter craft was flying a close escort to the _Shiloh_. The two spacecrafts rocketed through space towards the proper hostile contacts. Nalia radioed her instructions to the accompanying fighter.

"Lieutenant, you're the fighter ace, not me. Your main job will be to prevent any large bombs that are launched at the _Shiloh_ from reaching us. Otherwise, provide whatever support you can and don't get killed."

"Roger that, _Shiloh_." Lucas radioed.

Meanwhile on the bridge of the frigate, Nalia, Talana and Julland took their proper positions. Julland was planted firmly in front of the weapons control panel, just behind and to the side of Nalia and Talana. Everyone from the bridge to the bottom in engineering were in high alert, knowing that they were getting close. Dr. Jima stood by waiting for any possible, and almost inevitable, injuries that might occur.

Nalia looked behind her shoulder at the Hanar who was still feverishly working at the many panel readouts.

"Dolphos, what can you tell me about those three hostile contacts? What kind of ships are we looking at?" Nalia asked.

"This one sees that two of the ships look like they are freighters that have been most cleverly re- purposed for the intent of pirating. The other ship is a small warship of unknown design, possibly a private build from inside the Terminus systems. This one is unable to identify all the weapons systems that might be most viciously thrown against us." Dolphos announced.

"Thank you." Nalia answered.

"I suggest we slow down and activate stealth systems. That way we can approach them and hit them where they are most vulnerable before they can prepare themselves." Julland stated.

"Negative on that. Talana, send us in full speed and choose your target." Nalia countered.

"Yes, lady Nalia." Talana answered.

"But Nalia, wouldn't it make more sense, if not be a whole lot safer, if we just simply went in under their radar and blasted them before they had a chance to respond? Aren't we giving them a chance to detect us and react by going in like this?" Julland asked. Nalia looked at him.

"But what fun is there in that?" the Asari inquired. The Turian looked back at his monitor and sighed.

"Captain, this one believes they have us on their radar. Their formations are changing. They are approaching us." Dolphos warned.

"Let them come..." Nalia murmured.

"Engaging all auxiliary weapons. Missile banks armed and ready. Kinetic barriers are fully functional." Julland called out from his perch.

"Do you have a plan of attack, captain?" Talana asked urgently.

"Go for the center one. I'm pretty sure that's the main muscle in their group." Nalia instructed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"_Shiloh,_ this is Flaming Eagle. I have the hostiles on a visual contact. Requesting permission to break and attack." Lucas' voice crackled on their radio. So that was his call sign.

"Flaming Eagle, permission granted. Just remember your first priority." Nalia responded over the transmission.

"Roger that, over and out." Through the small view ports, they caught a glimpse of the flare cause by the exhaust engine as the fighter threw on its afterburners.

"We are in striking range, captain. Permission to fire?" Talana inquired.

"Fire at will." Nalia smiled.

Outside, the intrepid fighter pilot ducked and weaved through the numerous dangerous blasts of energy hurled at it. The hostile ships opened a salvo of heavy bombs. One by one, each exploded prematurely as Lucas' triple row of fire found them. That accomplished, the starfighter swooped over the lead raider ship and shot off into the darkness. The fighter escort temporarily gone, the main raider ship let off another large bomb which exploded off of the _Shiloh's_ barriers. The smaller gun turrets lit up the darkness as streams of deadly light lashed and grazed the ships.

Lucas whipped his fighter around in a sharp U turn before hitting his afterburners again. He watched the murderous light works as he shot closer and closer to the scene. He reflected on what he saw and realized the strange aspect that for all the lights and violence of the display, there were no sounds. That was one of the first things a particularly morbid flight instructor told him and the new pilots at training. "Don't get killed. No one can hear you scream in space." The combat ace waited in vain for the rumbling explosion after the _Shiloh's_ weapons tore through the lead privateer and transformed it into a massive fireball. He reminded himself again that noise does not travel in the vacuum of space. He wondered if, in an odd way, it was beautiful.

Inside the _Shiloh_, the crew held onto whatever they could, as well as their last meal, as best as they could. With all the maneuvers and weapon discharges, the temperature inside was noticeably rising. Right now the heat was only uncomfortable but if the battle did not end in a few minutes, they'd be on the verge of passing out.

"Captain, this one has run cross scans on the two combatant freighters. It believes that one is carrying slaves aboard. It believes this because of the high readings of life signs aboard, more than even a heavily armed freighter might carry." Dolphos announced. The ship rattled in the shock wave of the other freighter exploding.

"Makes sense, Nalia. I'd suggest we find a way to board that freighter and recover them." Julland suggested.

"Normally I would ignore that and blow it up. However, I'd hate to see you and the Lieutenant pouting the rest of the mission." Nalia answered.

"There's just the problem of disarming them and cutting their engines." Talana informed.

"Perhaps its possible for Lucas to take care of all of those." Julland suggested.

"You sure you really want to do this, Julland?" Nalia inquired.

"We save a few innocents and collect valuable intelligence. We blow it up, we lose any possibility of doing both." Julland offered.

"Very well. Flaming Eagle, you think there's a way you could disable the weapons and engine systems of our last freighter?" Nalia radioed. Lucas' voice cut back through the static.

"It is possible. My onboard computer is calculating the proper weak points in the engine system. Stand by..." Lucas announced.

"Roger,_ Shiloh _standing by_..._" Talana responded. They waited a few moments.

"This is the Flaming Eagle. Weak points are viable. Targeting engine systems now." Lucas announced.

"All right Talana, make sure to follow that freighter at a fair distance. Most of their fire is being concentrated on taking down the Lieutenant anyway." Nalia ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

"Captain, this one sees that the targeted freighter is unable to maneuver. Its coming to a halt." Dolphos announced from behind them.

"Really? That was quick..." Nalia observed.

"The auxiliary weapons turrets are also coming offline as well." Talana reported.

"That was really quick." the Asari Spectre confirmed.

"Maybe that's why he's a fighter ace." Julland offered.

"Whatever. Julland, suit up and get Miss Algre. Us three are going in." Nalia ordered.


	11. Chapter 10

_Thirty minutes ago, he was in the briefing room being told with his fellow soldiers their objective. Twenty minutes ago, they departed fully believing this would be a short mission. They would be back soon enough. Fifteen minutes ago, they were hit by interceptors. Ten minutes ago, he became a fighter ace. The only problem was that eleven minutes ago, his whole flight group got wiped out. Seven minutes ago, he and the last interceptor locked in on each other. The interceptor launched missiles while he had opened fire with his cannons. Both fighters went up in flames. Only he ejected before it was too late. Five minutes ago he made landfall. Three minutes ago, he realized he was behind enemy lines. Two seconds ago he became a P.O.W._

* * *

Nalia, Julland and Dalora stared fully determined at the door in front of them. The interior door of the _Shiloh_ was closed behind them while the exterior door of the pirate freighter was in front of them. The Asari Spectre gave her ship's crew final instructions.

"I want those guards posted in front of those doors at all times. Anyone who can be spared and carry a gun are to back them up. Talana, if anything happens and anyone from the away team does not respond after a minute, you are to jettison away from the freighter and leave without us. Am I understood?"

"Yes, captain. We will give you a minute to respond in the event of an emergency. Failing that, we are to leave." Talana repeated her orders.

"Very good." Nalia murmured after the radio cut off. She looked at her fellow comrades.

"Well, I suppose its go in, kill anything that shoots at us, find anything that doesn't shoot and free them, and look for any evidence. However, if I say we go back, we go back. No arguments." Nalia asserted, looking especially at Julland.

"Agreed." the Turian nodded, already holding his assault rifle.

"All right. We're going in." Nalia stated.

"I'll take point...ma'am." Dalora said. The Asari backed away.

"Be my guest." Nalia relented.

"Thank you."

Dalora took her place up front. She did not even bother to chamber a round into her Sokolov shotgun. Unknown to those around her, she always walked around with the gun ready to go off at a moment's notice. Whenever she activated it, letting the gun fold open from its unused position on her back, it was no longer in safety. A rather dangerous habit but one hard learned in her line of work. Even Dalora admitted that bad habits died hard. She activated the door console and the hatches slid open, revealing a curiously empty room. The team hesitated for a moment staying absolutely silent. Dalora suddenly lit up with blue light.

The mercenary opened a singularity rift in the center of the room. Boxes, crates and suddenly revealed pirates left their hiding spots and flew towards the rift, which was complimented by a warp zone as well.

"Wow, she's vicious." Julland muttered before opening fire with his rifle.

"It's either them, or me." Dalora retorted, opening fire with her Sokolov.

"It appears these pirates are Batarians." Nalia observed, watching the bodies flail helplessly.

"Four eyed bastards." Dalora spat before letting off another round.

Outside, Lucas let his fighter cruise slowly in elliptical orbits around the frigate and freighter. Talana, the acting authority whenever Nalia was away, ordered him to maintain escort and monitor the situation. Dolphos had transferred the data scans of the interior so Lucas had an idea of what was inside. Lucas started to relax a bit, deciding that most of the problems were over. He was absolutely confident that Nalia, Julland and Dalora would have no problem subduing any pirates who were stubborn enough to put up a fight inside. At a slow cruising speed, the fighter leisurely passed by the scene. The lieutenant let his gaze wander over to the nearby stars. He always wondered when exactly they formed. How long had those brilliant orbs of light been burning and how much longer did they have? What was it like when a spent star finally went dim forever? He was disturbed when he noticed a sudden light fill his cockpit. Lucas spun his head in the direction of the freighter.

"Oh God..." Lucas prayed, the only words he could fumble to direct to his Maker. An explosion had ruptured the hull of the freighter, tearing a gaping hole in the center of the ship. The _Shiloh_ seemed completely unharmed. Lucas fired the engines and moved in for a closer look.

"_Shiloh_, this is Flaming Eagle. I have a visual on an explosion in the freighter. I repeat, there has been an explosion on the freighter. Any reports on the away team?" Lucas asked anxiously.

"We just felt it too, Flaming Eagle. We're still trying to get a hold of the team." Talana reported.

Lucas had pulled in close to the explosion site. A long debris field had formed from the sudden force. Staring through the glass of his cockpit, Lucas watched nearby crates and jagged metal pieces and wreckage float pass. Soon he spotted something else. Bodies. Corpses were floating past his ship.

"Tattered clothes...poor body frame...no weapons or armor...these were the slaves..." Lucas stated in dismay. He caught the facial features of one that floated closer than the rest. It told him all he needed to know.

"Oh...oh gosh...they died when they were exposed to the vacuum..."

"Away team, this is the _Shiloh_, please respond!" Talana cried into the communications array. The sound of static never sounded so sadistic.

"Please respond away team, you have forty-five seconds!" the Asari navigator desperately pleaded.

"Calm down, Talana. Give us a moment to get a hold of ourselves." Nalia's annoyed voice radioed back. Talana heaved a sigh of relief.

* * *

Back on the ship, the away team realized the only reason they were still alive, other than being away from the site of the blast, was because they had kept their helmets on when they went in. That simple precaution of keeping an oxygen supply on them had saved their lives. As if the angel of death walked by and chose who were to go with him, Nalia, Dalora and Julland remained standing while those around them, the slaves kept in cages, suddenly went limp.

"The greatest atrocity to this is that the slaves did not have to die. They were innocent. Crap, I can't get used to seeing dead innocents..." Julland growled.

"Soon...you can get used to even seeing that. Well, if you see it often enough." Dalora muttered sadly, reaching out and shut the eyes of a slave girl who still clutched the bars of her cage.

"Rest now, little one. At least this nightmare is over." she whispered.

"There, now there's no hope of getting a single slave out of here alive and I betcha they meant for this whole ship to go, not that one little explosives container. We're probably still here because the rest of the trap failed to go off." Nalia chastised Julland.

"Well it was better than not trying, but you're right, we should head back before anything else happens." Julland relented. The three hurried back to the exit doors.

After they had broke away from the crippled freighter, Nalia ordered Lucas to return to the ship. As for the freighter, she ordered it "put out of its misery." A single launched bomb took care of that problem. Nalia realized she had a few housekeeping orders to attend to as well.

"Talana, set a course for that moon Dolphos was able to pull from the files. Get us there on the double."

"Yes, milady." Talana complied.

"Captain, this one is eager to share with you a bit of information it was able to get from the communication records during the battle." Dolphos announced to the passing Asari.

"What is it?"

"This is a message that was sent from the main pirate raider before we engaged in brutal combat. It will replay the message." Dolphos extended a tentacle and tapped a button. The recording played.

"...Captain Methalos, this is the covert ops team. We've run into a problem and may not be able to return to the fleet. We are patching the information we got right now. Hopefully you'll at least be able to use these if we don't make it. Faulks out..." the recording stopped. Nalia let the information sink in.

"Were you able to intercept the data?" Nalia asked.

"If by 'intercept' you mean prevent from reaching its destination, then no. However, this one was able to tap in and get a copy of said data. Perhaps it may help us in case we may have missed anything." Dolphos suggested.

"Very good. Notify me as soon as you have all the data compiled and decrypted. Can you give me an estimate?" Nalia asked.

"This one happily suggests that at the rate of computer decryption, the whole process may take roughly three standard hours." Dolphos offered.

"That is acceptable. Carry on." Nalia dismissed.

Lucas let the hot water run over him. He knew that as far as today's action went, he had experienced the least trauma. All he had done was shift in a seat, worked a few levers and throttled that control stick. He had done his research before he went into the Alliance space fighter corp. Pilots were less likely to suffer psychological stress. It was the soldiers who got to watch their buddies get blown up, hacked or melted that fared worse. All what pilots saw where impersonal explosions, perhaps agonized screams before the radio cut out, but that was that. Of course, he and a lot of other pilots never counted on getting shot down. Seeing those bodies of kidnapped slaves floating so close to the cockpit...Lucas tried to let the warm water wash the memories away. He knew that it would take a long time before the memories would lay untouched in some dark place of his mind, much longer than this shower would take. Sighing, the lieutenant cut off the water, grabbed his towel and started to dry himself off. The _Shiloh_, like other Alliance frigates, had a communal shower place. That was why when the door flung open, Lucas scurried to cover himself. The startled man was even more glad he did that since the person standing in front of him was Dalora. The lieutenant, contrary to what most might have believed, he was not at all pleased with this current turn of events.

"I can't take it anymore!" Dalora declared.

"...what?"

"I'm up to here with it!" the disgruntled mercenary snarled.

"I'm sorry, I have no clue what you're talking about." Lucas stated weakly.

"And I really need you for this." Dalora finished. One could have seen Lucas' pupils dilate.

_"Holy crap, this is not going where I think its going. Wait, you never know. How do you ask without implying? What are you proposing? No. What are you suggesting? No. What would you like me to do? Oh gosh no." _

"What are you trying to tell me?" Lucas asked carefully.

"Plenty of the Asari crew members have been hitting on me!" Dalora declared. Lucas stared at her and said nothing.

"I am not a lesbian." Dalora growled.

"I understand. I'd explain, but I don't like to talk with only a towel on my person." Lucas mumbled. It only seemed to be in that moment that Dalora noticed just how little he was wearing.

"Oh-oh gosh, sorry. Go ahead, make yourself decent." Dalora apologized. Lucas called out the rest of the conversation while he threw his clothes on behind a divider.

"Do you normally go running into the bathroom looking for people to get answers from?"

"Actually, I was going to get in here to get away from it all, and I kind of noticed you." Dalora admitted, glad he was gone because she knew she was blushing.

"Right, right, right. Come along." the lieutenant said as he stepped out fully clothed, showing her out as the two left the showers.

Lucas led her down to the lower floors where he got started taking apart rifles so they could be cleaned as well as tending to anything else he might spot. Julland was not there, so he knew this would provide Dalora with any privacy she might have felt necessary.

"As you were saying, Miss Algre?" Lucas asked.

"Why do Asari do that? I'm not homophobic, but I can't help it if I'm not interested in other women either." Dalora explained.

"Technically, Asari are not female. They don't see themselves female like we would, even if they seem to bend towards the feminine side." Lucas informed.

"I know, I know...but still, I don't appreciate it." Dalora stated. Lucas finished inspecting a rifle before thoughtfully biting his lip.

"Just keep turning down their advances. Report anything to Nalia if something gets a little out of hand. I don't know if me talking to any of them might help." Lucas suggested.

"I guess..."

"Dalora, if you don't mind my saying, but you don't seem to be all that appreciative of aliens." Lucas told her.

"Hey, I do appreciate them. It's just that, well..."

"Well what?"

"I've had my fair share of them, you know? Look, when you've been out in space as much as I have, it seems like all you run into are aliens. The few humans you do meet, nine times out of ten, are scum. You can't find a decent human anymore." Dalora complained.

"You'd be hard pressed to find a decent human on Earth too, actually." Lucas warned.

"What, the aliens took over Earth already?" Dalora asked, sincerely curious.

"No...but have you ever heard of the phrase, 'human nature?'"

"Well...yeah, I have."

"And humans originated on Earth, Dalora. However, what I think you're trying to say is that you're looking for human companionship." Lucas offered. _"After all, man was not made to be alone. Even if he were to spend his time with other sentient beings, it would probably not be healthy to not have any interactions with his fellow man. We did, after all, have only each other to deal with for how many thousands if not millions of years?" _

"Yes, that's it." Dalora agreed.

"Well, at least for the duration of this voyage, I'm right here." Lucas said flatly, still working at the rifle. Dalora looked into his distracted eyes. They seemed so focus and intent and yet somehow lifeless. She wondered how that could be since it was so unnerving.

"Well...thanks." she replied, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Don't mention it." Just as the the two were about to part ways, Julland walked in on the both of them. He carried an air of purpose.

"Hey, Nalia wants us all in the comm room. It sounds important." Julland announced.

"What makes you say that?" Dalora asked.

"Dolphos just finished decrypting the information we gathered. What it implies is that our pirates may be trying to get their hands on a biological weapon."


	12. Chapter 11

_He was a P.O.W for about fifteen minutes. Thirty seconds ago, it was decided he would have to be executed. Fifteen seconds ago he was told to kneel as someone took out a pistol. Five seconds ago, the executioner stepped behind him. The trigger should have been pulled two seconds ago. Three seconds ago, the Batarian soldiers were shot down by a lost Alliance patrol. Now he was a downed Alliance pilot once again. _

_He was liberated twenty minutes ago. Twelve minutes ago he and the patrol ran into an ambush. Ten minutes ago, a dying soldier somehow knew he had the same status as a combat chaplain. Nine minutes ago, he gave the forlorn last rites to the soldier. Five minutes ago he was alone again. He wondered how it was that twice in one day he would be the only survivor as a human and Batarian unit annihilated each other. Three minutes ago the radio one of the dead Alliance soldiers was carrying crackled to life. Alliance Command was on the other end. In two minutes he was told his options. _

_"Listen soldier, you could try to head back behind enemy lines, but Batarians are swarming all over the area. We're losing patrols all over the area. You're the closest one to a Batarian defense structure. Your best chance of survival is to go in there and hack the defense systems to our control." _

_"But I'm only a combat pilot. I can't do this type of thing!"_

_"Listen soldier, either you run and die a combat pilot, stay there and die a combat pilot, or try, and die trying a combat pilot. Finally, you could try and get out of there alive..."_

* * *

A fleet of ships raced through the empty dark. The captain at the head of the fleet knew he was running out of time. As much power as he wielded, he was not stupid. That idiot who paid him and financed the assembly of this fleet held the true power. Captain Methalos was fully aware that he could not bite the hand that fed him, at least, not yet. With the shadowy figure demanding that he get the package soon or to expect "not so friendly competition," and now a mysterious strike group that eliminated his special ops team, he was certain time was quickly running out. At least he had one more bargaining chip to his favor and he had to use it while it still remained that way. He was one step ahead on getting to the the destination...

"You have got to be kidding me." Lucas declared. His sentiments echoed in the communications room which was now packed with all of the upper level staff on the ship. In addition to Lucas, Dalora and Julland, Dr. Jima, Merjj, Dolphos and Talana were also present.

"I don't like it either if that makes you feel any better." Nalia shrugged, a wry shot at humor.

"Well first off, biological weapons are against galactic agreements. Second, I highly doubt any one of us has the training in dealing with biological warfare or even bio-weapons recovery." Lucas ranted.

"Perhaps Dr. Jima could give us a few pointers." Julland suggested. The Quarian also shrugged.

"I looked at the reports. There is not a lot to go on. Obviously, the reports were vague so I don't have all the details. I can give a few pointers but biological weapons are never easy to deal with. Personally, I don't have any experience with anything like this." Jima explained.

"Lets stick with what we do know." Dalora stated.

"That's probably the most sensible direction to go in." Merjj the Salarian engineer agreed.

"This one will bring up the project reports." Dolphos offered, tapping a nearby button which brought a series of entries on one of the monitor screens. The passages spoke for themselves. Each entry stated the amount of "patients" involved. Each was then finished with a fatality rate calculation. The strain or weapon or whatever it was, was not mentioned. It was simply called "the strain" or "the virus." It also sounded like it was Devlon Industries' scientists who were administering and monitoring the experiments.

"If this is happening in the Terminus systems then everything makes sense. Everything goes in the Terminus. Technically the Citadel has no jurisdiction over what happens there. We'd be hard pressed to slap them with charges." Julland observed.

"But if a group of pirates, the group I was assigned to eliminate, are aiming to get them, then we have a major problem." Nalia stated.

"That goes without saying." Lucas added.

"This is still a lot of speculation. I suggest we continue to investigate. At the very least, we know where to go now." Dr. Jima said.

"My plans exactly. However, you are all to know what we may be dealing with in the future. I'm sorry to get you all into this, but hopefully nothing will come to a boil. In case you couldn't tell from our military boys, biological weapons are not good for your health. Talana, keep the _Shiloh_ running as fast as you can to get to this destination. Merjj, you and the boys in engineering are to keep that engine running as long as you can. Work your magic on it, we can not make a lot of stops to discharge the heat from the core." Nalia ordered.

"Aye, aye." Merjj saluted.

"Dr. Jima, I want you to prepare as best you can for biological incidents and handling whatever may be necessary. You will also brief me and my away team on practical precautions." Nalia added.

"As you wish." Jima agreed.

"If there's nothing else, you are dismissed... Anyone for lunch?" Nalia asked.

At the mess table, everyone remained relatively quiet. Dalora was not there since she decided she wanted a nap. Merjj had finished his meal at typical Salarian breakneck speeds and Julland and Dr. Jima were just finishing up. Lucas in the meantime had scrounged up enough ingredients to enjoy a cup of chai while Nalia was still relishing her meal. She looked up at the lieutenant sitting across from her.

"A question, Lieutenant." Nalia announced.

"I do not believe I can refuse, Captain." Lucas responded.

"Now I don't mean to intrude on your personal business...but I heard rumors of you and Miss Algre leaving the showers together. Is there something going on between you two...?" Nalia asked quietly. Lucas looked at her in alarm.

"N-no, a complete misunderstanding. It's not what it looks like." Lucas defended. Nalia raised an eyebrow at him.

"You don't need to be defensive, Lucas...its not like we have military regs on this ship so you don't need to hide it..."

"No, ma'am. The relationship I have with Miss Algre is strictly professional." the flustered lieutenant asserted as best he could.

"You intend to keep it that way?" Nalia pressed.

"Most likely." Lucas answered.

"Uh huh...very well..." Nalia murmured. There was a few minutes of awkward silence, at least for Lucas, who did not appreciate getting jumped like that. However, he realized two could play at that game.

"May I ask you a question, Captain?" Lucas inquired.

"Go ahead."

"Forgive me for being blunt, but from what it sounds, you don't much give a darn about civilian lives." Lucas stated. Nalia smiled knowingly at him, something he did not expect.

"Lieutenant, tell me about the poor saps that ended up on the wrong side of you scope. What were they, pirates? Mercenaries?"

"Mostly mercenary groups working within Council space. Basically they were terror groups and paramilitary organizations that posed a threat to Alliance safety." Lucas explained.

"So you're not experienced with fighting Terminus pirates, are you?"

"Only fought against them on rare occasions." Lucas admitted.

"All right, let me explain something to you, Lucas. Terminus pirates are the most vicious enemies you'll ever fight. That little dirty trick they pulled on us on that freighter is just a prank compared to what they usually do. The point is this, I'm only responsible for three things on a mission: myself, my crew and the mission. I save civilians as long as they do not pose any possibility of endangering any of those three. Unfortunately, they usually do." Nalia asserted. Lucas nodded, as if understanding though clearly not agreeing. With that, Nalia left while the Alliance soldier grudgingly sipped his chai. He suddenly felt a Turian claw tap his shoulder.

"Don't worry. That's normal for her. She does it to me too." Julland reassured.

"Your hearing is rather acute. How do you put up with her?" Lucas asked.

"I don't, Lieutenant. Whatever made you think that I did?" the Turian asked before walking off. Lucas wondered if the way his mouth parts were shaped was a Turian equivalent of a sarcastic smirk.

Dr. Jima stared at the supplies in front of her. Her storage room had accumulated a lot of medical supplies and other hardware throughout her years serving with Nalia. She herself had very few belongings that she could claim as her own. It was part of a lifestyle learned on the Flotilla. Back here was a small cot, several changes of environmental suits, and a few little odds and ends she kept. Everything else belonged to the _Shiloh_. The Quarian remembered what she had read from those data entries regarding this new virus. The numbers were disturbing to say the least. The fatality numbers were never lower than eighty-five percent. Side notes also observed that survivors were so greatly debilitated that they would die soon after of complications. Realizing what she might be coming up against, the Quarian doctor started shifting through the boxes. Perhaps there were some old supplies she had scavenged through the years that might be useful

"So what is that you have against Asari?" Lucas asked Dalora as they were both lounging in the cargo bay.

"I don't have anything against them." Dalora answered innocently.

"Oh come on, you gave me a rather hard time about them." the Alliance infiltrator pointed out.

"All right...you see, when it seems like every guy is drooling over them, you start to feel threatened." Dalora explained.

"So its about the competition. You feel like you can't measure up to them?" Lucas inquired.

"To be honest, the few human men I worked with were such idiots that even if they did notice me, I wouldn't done anything about it. It all goes back to finding another human friend. That and I guess the curiosity of why men can't keep their eyes off them." the mercenary answered.

"Huh. I guess since most of the crew here is Asari, your blood pressure is off the walls."

"You get used to it." Dalora admitted.

"Right."

"So what do you think of Nalia?" Dalora suddenly inquired.

"Eh...she's not your typical Asari."

* * *

Dark. Blackness. Red. Flashes of red. Brilliant, deep red. Blood. Screams. The world had suddenly gone upside down. Carriers of death everywhere. The only people who made the world right...gone. They had become red. Green now. Red and fire, blood and red. More screams. Black, ghastly black. It grabs. Can't escape, can't escape...

* * *

"Dalora, get up." Lucas stated softly. Dalora stared bewildered, her eyes wild. She had woken with a frightened squeak. Her arms were pinned down by Lucas who staring down at her but was kneeling at her side.

"...Wh-why are you holding my arms down?" Dalora asked weakly.

"You were having a pretty bad nightmare. The particularly worse, night terrors, would make it dangerous for me to wake you up. I had to keep you from flailing me." Lucas explained.

"Oh...I must have...I must have dozed off here."

"You did after we finished talking. How often do you have nightmares like this?"

"Sometimes its such a long time that I forget I have them...sometimes every night." the mercenary admitted.

"You know, part of the training of being a minister is providing psychological and emotional healing. A lot to do with the whole 'mind, body, soul' thing. Anyway, I'll try to help you if you want. Only, it'll have to be later." Lucas offered.

"Sure...but why later?" Dalora asked.

"Because we're about to make landfall. We've arrived at the Devlon Industries' Special Materials Testing Facility. At least, the planet it's located on. Now it's a matter of getting in without being noticed...well, that's how I would do it. Knowing Nalia, we'd probably go in making so much noise-"

"I get it, I get it. Let's go." Dalora insisted.


	13. Chapter 12

"_Congratulations, you're now promoted to lieutenant." _

_"...Thanks...I guess..."_

_"You did well at Torfan. No one would have suspected you to pull off what you did alone." _

_"Personally, I feel it came at too great a cost."_

_"We understand how you feel. The Alliance would like to compensate you." _

_"You can not give back what I lost back there."_

_"We can't make it the same...but we can make it better. We just have one request though, if you're to get it." _

_"...What is it?"_

_"You'll be retrained as a special forces ranger. We could use more men like you." _

_"And if I refuse?"_

_"...You have to understand, soldier. We're short of men after what happened on the Citadel. You don't help us, we don't help you..."_

* * *

The tension was so thick in the air one could cut it with a dull butter knife. None of them needed to be reminded of what an Alliance Frigate carrying the letters "SSV" could mean in Terminus space. For now, people probably thought that they were a group of pirates or mercenaries that got lucky and stole an Alliance space vessel. From here on in they could not use their real names when dealing with "authority figures" whatever little that meant in here. For now, they were holed up in a small docking port that was a quick drive away from the targeted facility. Even the normally level headed Dolphos spoke with a slight rush since they all knew that time was a commodity they had precious little of.

"This one then most earnestly suggests that the valiant away team takes the quick mountain trail around the docking station and to the facility site. By doing this, the courageous away team will avoid most interaction with the shady population out there and keep the risks of blowing our cover. It estimates that the trek should take roughly forty five minutes. From there, the team may find numerous back doors and other entrances as it sees fit. This one will continue scanning the area and try to find any information it can." Dolphos briefed them, showing the holographic display of the surrounding area.

"Sounds good to me." Nalia agreed. Once the Asari said that, there was no more discussing it.

Lucas and Julland went at a brisk pace along the trail. Behind them, Dalora and Nalia took up the rearguard. The two soldiers traveled with some caution, but generally pressed ahead unrestrained. Nalia radioed to Dolphos.

"_Shiloh, _have you figured out where the virus might be located inside the facility?"

"Negative, away team. However, this one can report that there are unusual energy readings coming from the facility." the Hanar reported.

"We need that location soon, _Shiloh_." Nalia stressed.

"This one understands and is most diligently working to satisfy your request. It does feel the need to warn you about the energy levels. They are very sporadic."

"What do you mean by 'sporadic?' What are you suggesting?" the Asari asked.

"This one feels it is safe to assume weapons fire." the response came. Nalia cursed.

"Hurry up, let's move!" Nalia snapped, sprinting ahead of Julland and Lucas, who were taken off guard. Nevertheless, they all followed closely behind the agitated Asari.

Within minutes they started to approach the outskirts of the woods. The facility was just beginning to materialize. With icy dread, they started to realize what was going on. Simply put, they had arrived too late. The raiders were already there. By now, they worked to keep in the cover of the vegetation while trying to press forward at the same time.

"Lucas, get on your scope and tell me what you see." Nalia ordered as they kept moving forward. The sniper got down on his knee to survey the situation.

"Raiders have punctured a hole on the right end of the compound. They're all coming in through there. No one is leaving to go out. There are ships all over the place. They've formed a perimeter around it." Lucas reported. The Asari cursed again.

"You see a way we can get passed them without dying?" Nalia asked.

"There's a large window. If we keep low under the brush, we can sneak up close to it and make a run for it. Julland, you'll have to shoot the window out. If I do it, it'll cause an explosion which will alert them." Lucas analyzed.

"Do it, Julland." Nalia ordered.

"Already on it." Julland announced, aiming his Punisher sniper rifle. A quick pull of the trigger and the proper window simply shattered, completely in sync to the rest of the commotion playing out all over the facility.

"All right, this is our only chance. Stay under the brush. I will shoot the the person that gives us away." Nalia warned. Getting on their bellies, they crawled on as fast as they could.

Nearing the end of the vegetation line, Lucas and Julland quickly looked over the situation. A ship was immediately in front of them so they could cross under it with little risk of getting spotted. After that was twenty feet of open ground. The only real concern was if someone from the far right happened to walk on the side of the facility. Otherwise, none of the other ships had a clear line of sight on them.

"Dalora, you go first. Head in and secure the immediate area. Wait for the rest of us to regroup with you. You two boys up there, tell her when." Nalia whispered.

"You watch the right, Lieutenant. I'll keep an eye on the left." Julland informed.

"You got it."

"All clear on left." the Turian announced.

"All clear on right."

"Go." Nalia hissed. Dalora shot out as fast as her legs could take her. It was twenty feet of tension and total anxiety. Lucas clawed at the ground since he had to focus on the right and could not see how close Dalora was getting. Nalia informed them when she had made it.

"Still clear. Go ahead, Nalia." Julland stated. The Asari needed no encouragement.

"Room is cleared and secured. Awaiting for your arrival." Dalora radioed to them. So far so good.

"All right, Lieutenant. Your side has the higher risk. You'll have to take up the rearguard." Julland apologized.

"No sweat."

"See you over there." the Turian said before sprinting off. A few seconds passed.

"All right, Von Seraph. Your turn." Nalia messaged him.

"No can do." Lucas answered.

"Why not?"

"We got company."

Two pirates had suddenly walked out of a side entrance of the ship they were just hiding under. The sniper was not at all pleased they were walking his direction either. At the direction they were going, they would pass in front of him

"Keep low...if they see anything from the room you guys are in, we'll probably be in big trouble." Lucas whispered. He got no response. He took that as an acknowledgment.

"Are you going to wait for them to pass?" Julland asked over the radio.

"Normally I would...but we can't risk it." Lucas muttered. He thought carefully how he was going to plan this. They were walking at an angle that would bring them about four feet in front of him. Two humans. One was roughly two feet behind the other, the one closest to him. He would have to wait till they had passed him about four feet. Wait...

"Crud...they've noticed the window..." Lucas growled.

* * *

"Hey...Derek...you notice anything wrong about that window?" the pirate closest to the building asked.

"Yeah, Ivan. Why is that one shattered when all of the others aren't?" Derek observed.

"Something isn't right." Ivan whispered as they both drew out their assault rifles.

"What should we do?" Derek asked.

"Either we investigate in there or we look around-" Ivan was interrupted when Derek let out a strangled and particularly violent grunt.

"Derek?" Ivan sputtered. The raider spun around just in time to watch a green camouflaged shadow dash up to him and immediately felt something pass through his neck. He was not even allowed to hit the ground. The last thing he felt was himself and Derek getting dragged towards the brush. From the corner of his rapidly darkening eyes, he saw a horrifically sharp blade shine in the sunlight yet bathed in red.

* * *

"He's taking a long time..." Dalora murmured.

"We give him one more minute and then we have to move on." Nalia decided.

"Don't radio him. He might be in the middle of something important." Julland said. At that moment, Lucas unceremoniously stumbled into the room with them.

"That took awhile." Nalia said.

"Had to hide the evidence." Lucas explained.

"So what's the plan now?" the Turian asked.

"Too many ships are in the area so we're not going to risk communicating with the _Shiloh_. We're going to have to figure it out from here. This is where you shine, Dalora. You take point, followed by Julland, myself, and Lucas. You bring up the rear, Lieutenant. Watch our back." the Asari laid out. They hopped to their orders.

Dalora silently brought the door open before checking one side of the hall. Julland smartly stepped forward to cover her side.

"All clear." they both reported.

"Right or left?" Lucas asked.

"Right." Dalora stated.

"Left." Julland said.

"Right." Lucas suggested.

"Left." Nalia finished. They hesitated for an awkward moment.

"This isn't a frickin vote. I outrank you all, we're going left." Nalia snapped. They moved left. Several minutes later, Dalora spoke up again.

"We went the wrong way."

"Stop being a sore loser that I chose the other way. Keep moving."

"No, we're going the wrong way. Look." the mercenary flicked her shotgun at a nearby sign on the wall. "Lab" was highlighted in the opposite direction they were going.

"Fine, fine. Switch up." Nalia grumbled.

The halls were agonizingly silent. This was in complete conflict with what they had expected to find. It almost was a given that there would be explosions, gunfire and screams echoing through these halls and yet, the corridors were silent. What was going on?

"I don't like this..." Dalora murmured, keeping her shotgun steady in front of her.

"There does seem something rather important missing." Julland whispered.

"Hush, the last thing we need is chatter." Nalia scolded.

"Never mind, things are starting to look familiar." Dalora suddenly interrupted. She walked around a dead body of a scientist who had been shot in the back. Bullets could be disastrous on an unarmored body. When someone pulled the trigger on a gun, a mechanism tore off a tiny metal bit from an ammo block inside the weapon. The minuscule particle was processed through a mass effect chamber which fired the bullet down barrel. The projectile would then travel at hypersonic speeds at its target. The bullet would rapidly expand in flight, even more so in hammerhead or sledgehammer rounds. Unimpeded, the hypersonic velocity caused great damage on soft tissue and bone. That was only base metal. Depending on the chemical composition of the metal block, the ammo round could do all kinds of things from bullets that caused rapid freezing to rounds that detonated as high explosives.

"Here, looks like a side entrance." Dalora suggested as they found themselves at a door.

"All right, lets take it." Nalia agreed and they scrambled down. They started to hear the violent cracks of gunfire soon afterwards.

"Sounds like its going to be a lot fun." Nalia muttered sarcastically. They found themselves at a closed door which Dalora pushed aside just a crack to peer through.

"Nalia...you have no clue how 'fun' this is going to be..." the mercenary said.

"Why do you say that?"

"There's Geth in there..."


	14. Chapter 13

_Possession. That was the single purpose in life. Used. A tool to be sharpened, a piece of capital that needed to be invested in. That's all there was to life. Maybe the journey of life was not meant to be this way. Maybe it was because others had come and took it. It sure did not help that the ones that dictated what would happen in life felt like they were bullet proof. If only there was a way to prove them wrong..._

* * *

"This just keeps getting more interesting, doesn't it?" Nalia growled.

"I think 'interesting' is an understatement." Julland retorted.

"Shut up and let me think." It was bad enough that there was an open firefight raging in a facility that most likely housed a dangerous virus that killed most of its victims. Adding the Geth, the synthetic, war bent AI lifeforms into the mix certainly did not help the situation. The infiltrator suddenly realized something.

"Wait...how in the world did the Geth find out about this?" Lucas asked.

"We'll figure that out later. Right now here's the plan: we'll go in guns blazing. Shoot anything that's Geth, or shoots back at you. If you're not sure, shoot first and then ask questions later. Got it?" Nalia ranted. Other than a small tinge of misgiving because of the Asari's sarcastic approach to rules of engagement, they had none.

"Go!" Nalia ordered. Julland blasted the door open with a powerful kick of his foot claws and Dalora rushed in first, throwing the nearest group of unsuspecting pirates into the face of the Geth they were fighting against with a biotic push. The Turian behind her sent a hail of sledgehammer rounds at nearby target groups while Nalia forced unhappy retreating pirates back into the room with the opening of her singularity rift. At any rate, the sudden arrival of the ragtag squad threw everyone else off. Unfortunately, the Geth started to throw out the big guns.

Julland forced his assault rifle into overkill as he worked to bring down the Geth Destroyers approaching their position. Dalora had managed to keep two preoccupied in the air by opening another singularity rift. Nalia was preoccupied with fire coming from the pirates and Julland wasn't quite sure were Lucas disappeared off to. Probably doing sniper things. At any rate, the unhappy Turian growled in frustration as his stream of bullets only bounced off the Destroyer's shields. He was only further dismayed when the same Destroyer decided to charge him.

"Come on and die!" Julland snarled, riddling the machine with sledgehammer rounds, silently pleading that the added force would slow down the mechanical elephant bearing down on him. Just when Julland was about to step aside to avoid unstoppable force, the Destroyer finally collapsed in front of his feet, a destroyed wreck. Before the Turian could even breath a sigh of relief, he realized that yet another Destroyer was right behind the one he killed. Julland knew that if he froze on the spot he would have his head bashed in. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time telling the rest of his body that it had to move and it had better do it fast. The Geth Destroyer charged the discombobulated Turian, raising its weapon in anticipation of the kill when it suddenly burst into flames and flew across the room. Julland immediately sensed the ringing in his ears from the explosion and the hot feeling on his face from the blast. Only one person on the team was carrying those rounds.

"You could have shot me!" Julland yelled at Lucas behind him. The sniper looked up at him from behind his scope.

"But I didn't." Lucas stated confidently before getting back to finding another target.

In a few more seconds the room was cleared. Pirates who didn't manage to escape were dead and the Geth were reduced to scrap metal. The four regrouped for a moment while keeping their eyes fixed down the sights of their weapons in case anything dropped in.

"We got to go deeper into the labs. Look for anything that might give us information, preferably in a hurry." Nalia ordered. Dalora led the way.

The further they went down the lab, the more pieces of synthetic and human wreckage they found themselves walking over. Human blood and Geth machine lubricants started to mix together, forming a rather vile and slippery mess to be negotiated with. Walking in the sludgy gore sickened all of them but Nalia kept them pressing forward. Finally, they made it to the end of the lab where all the specimens were kept.

"All clear." Dalora announced.

"Good, now all we need to do is find this virus and be out of here." Nalia said.

"You think its strange we haven't had any more Geth or pirates attacking us to get here?" Lucas asked.

"Lieutenant, never say things like that unless you really want them to happen." Julland scolded.

"He's right, Lucas. You two boys watch the door and make sure no one tries to kills us. Now where did they put that container...?" Nalia asked.

"Nalia..." Dalora said softly. The Asari walked up to her and followed her gaze. There in front of them was a small vault painted with all manner of warning signs. Clearly, this was where the virus was being held. That in itself was not what horrified the two women, it was the fact that it was empty.

"We're too late!" Nalia screeched, hurrying back towards the end of the lab, her team hot on her trails. They were just about to exit the laboratory itself when something staggered in their way. It was a wounded Salarian, clearly a scientist by his medical suit, with a gaping wound in his knee.

"Wait, please help me." the miserable amphibian pleaded. The four glanced at each other before Julland roughly grabbed the scientist and threw him over his shoulder.

"Ow, ow, ow! Mind my knee!" the Salarian complained as Julland effortlessly kept up with the rest of his group.

By the time the party made it back up the stairs, they heard the sound of loud gunfire that could only be the weapons of ships firing at each other. The building itself seemed to be deserted. They hesitated a moment, trying to decide where to go from here.

"There's no point trying to catch the package. They've probably already taken it back to their ship." Dalora yelled over the noise.

"What package?" the Salarian asked.

"We'll ask you soon enough." Julland answered him.

"All that gunfire outside probably means they're shooting at Geth dropships." Lucas suggested. No sooner he said that did the building abruptly rattle violently.

"Or destroying the facility." Dalora snapped.

"Both." Lucas argued.

"It doesn't matter, we have to get out of here. Move!" Nalia screamed as parts of the building started raining from the ceiling. They scrambled for the nearest exit and dashed into the daylight again.

"Move, move, move! We don't want the ships to see us!" Lucas yelled, taking up the rearguard. It was another tense run through the open ground, hurrying to make it back to the relative safety of the brush. They were nearly there when Lucas felt the ground behind him explode. A ship had opened its laser batteries at them. The sudden force rocketed the sniper off his feet and into the air. He landed with a heavy thud at the edge of the forest, having flown over the heads of the others. Too dazed to figure out if he was even injured, he only managed to sit up and look back at his approaching comrades. Dalora swiftly grabbed onto the back of his armor and started to drag him behind her into the forest. No one was sure what purpose it served, but the sniper fired off a few shots until they were deep into the forest.

The group did not stop running until the sounds of gunfire had faded away. However, they did hear ships passing overhead so the raider group was probably starting to leave the area. Sweating and heaving for breath, Dalora collapsed on the ground.

"Are you all right?" she gasped, looking back at Lucas. The lieutenant looked himself over.

"Other than what I'm sure are a few bruises, I think I'm fine." Lucas answered. Dalora then lightly kicked him.

"You owe me." she sputtered, still gasping for breath.

"Hey, thanks for getting me out of there and all...but I could use some medi-gel if you have any one you." the Salarian suddenly spoke up. Nalia opened one of her own packets and slapped some on the scientist's knee while Julland deposited the amphibian on the ground. The scientist found himself staring up at a very stern looking Nalia who glared back at him with her arms cross over her chest.

"Biological weapons are suppose to be off limits, you know." Nalia told him darkly.

"What biological weapons?" the Salarian asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. We found the records of what you were testing here. Now tell us what you know about this virus." Nalia snarled.

"What virus? We weren't testing biological virus weapons." the Salarian stated firmly. Nalia slapped the horrified scientist across the face.

"You have one last chance to answer the question and stop defending Devlon Industries before I stop playing with you and get serious." the Asari threatened.

"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about! We were just studying ways to destroy the Geth...finding more effective weapons against them...not manufacturing biological weapons." the Salarian sputtered. This time, Nalia punched the Salarian in the face.

"You're getting closer to what I want, but I don't appreciate you insulting my intelligence."

"That's all I know! That's all my research was focused on! Please stop hurting me, I don't know anything else!" the Salarian pleaded.

"He's telling the truth." Lucas said.

"Unfortunately." Nalia agreed before simply walking off. The Salarian, who had curled up into a defensive ball and covered his face, cautiously looked up. Instead, he found himself looking up at Lucas and Dalora.

"You better come with us. We'll get you safely to the spaceport, but from there you're on your own." Lucas told him.

* * *

Captain Methalos was starting to feel much better. The raid was a success and the package had been taken before the Geth could obtain it themselves. Granted, their arrival was not anticipated but at least his ships were able to fight them off. As for the package, it sat safely in his quarters where he kept a close eye on it. One of his aides approached him.

"Captain, we're getting the final reports from the raider teams. The only thing that stands out is that some reported a second group attacked them. They weren't Geth, though. It seems to be an Asari, Turian and two humans working together." the aide informed. The cyborg scratched his chin with his mechanical arm.

"Have the rearguard ships on heightened alert. Make sure we're not being followed." Captain Methalos ordered.

"Yes, Captain." his aide answered before leaving.

* * *

The _Shiloh_ remained moored at the spaceport while Dolphos quickly crunched numbers and information at his data stations. The first thing Nalia ordered when she stepped back on the ship was for him to get information from the atmosphere, space traffic and radar controls. He was told to keep track of where the group of raiders went while they waited on the docks.

"We can't follow them too closely or we'll set off the whole group. There's no way we'd survive taking on all those ships alone all at once. We can't call for reinforcements here in Terminus space either. Talana, wait for thirty minutes before following the path Dolphos gives you. That's when you'll take off." Nalia ordered her helmsman.

"Yes, ma'am." Talana answered.

"I can't believe they were able to get that virus before we did." Julland grumbled to her.

"Not for long, Julland. Not for long..."

Lucas found Dalora sitting with her legs crossed in the lower floors next to engineering. She had her usual blue jumpsuit on and seemed to be taking a breather from what happened. The lieutenant walked up to her.

"May I join you?" he asked. She smiled before motioning to the spot next to her.

"Did Dr. Jima look you over?" the mercenary asked.

"Yep. Just a few bruises, I've had worse." Lucas admitted.

"Well, at least you're okay."

"Indeed, but from where we last left off, it seems you're not. Tell me about these dreams you have." Lucas asked. Dalora remained silent for a bit.

"Um...before I do, I need to ask if you can keep a secret. The problem is that a lot of my dreams have a lot to do with something I don't really like other people knowing." Dalora whispered.

"Patient confidentiality. Its safe with me." Lucas said.

"So I'm a patient now?" Dalora asked.

"That's generally what people who need medical assistance are called."

"Really? You're not doing this just as a friend?"

"Okay, maybe that too. At any rate, yes, I can keep a secret." Lucas stated, trying to get to the point. Dalora pulled up close to him and spoke softly into his ear.

"The truth is that all my life I've been involved directly or indirectly with space pirates. My earliest memories were knowing that I was being trained to fight by pirates who had somehow acquired me. I later escaped them and ended up working for other pirates. I am a mercenary, but somehow, I can't get away from those space raiders. They always need more hands from their ships, more people who can carry guns. That's why I always get hired by them." Dalora admitted. Lucas kept staring at her.

"Somehow, I thought your secret would be a little more dramatic." Lucas admitted.

"Lucas, don't you get it? These pirates we're hunting down now, I was working for them until one of the captains tried to, um, force me. The only reason nothing happened to me was because I killed him with my shotgun. They later caught me, though. The only reason I wasn't executed was because you guys showed up at just the right time."


	15. Chapter 14

_They were everywhere. They were like locust, swarming an area, taking down any defenders by sheer numbers. Their armors and weapons were probably second rate but numbers and brutality coupled with shock was all worked to their favor. There was a different type of cunning to them and yet a hint that this was all common sense, a simple fact or behavior that any living being could exploit. It was the same common sense that forced her to listen to the one holding the pistol above her head. _

_"Here's the plan...you come with us, we'll keep you safe, and when you're old enough, we'll teach you how to make money. Perhaps there's even something about you that will surprise us." There was a couple moments of silence before the pistol went away._

_"And by the way, don't get any ideas. I am bulletproof..."_

* * *

This was something that they did not cover at basic training. When hunting down ships, there is little one can do on a ship that is already well staffed in navigation, information processing and weapons control. In other words, Julland and Lucas had little to do while Nalia, Talana and Dolphos tried to come up with an idea on how to track down the fleet of pirates and somehow destroy or requisition the virus. Bored, the two soldiers ended up practicing close quarters combat.

Lucas let out yet another pained grunt as Julland sent his powerful foot claws into the sniper's stomach. The Turians' powerful lower legs were one of their preferred weapons when engaged this close. This was perhaps the twentieth time Lucas found himself kicked in the stomach by the Turian and lying winded on the ground because of it.

"You're doing well, you just need to be a bit quicker." Julland informed him. Lucas looked up for a minute and could only let go of his breath before heavily standing up for another go. The two soldiers stared each other down, each calculating how they would approach the other. Lucas went first again and this time quickly evaded Julland's first kick. Unfortunately, Julland tripped the lieutenant with his other foot claw a second later.

"Okay, okay...mercy. For now, anyway..." Lucas panted. There were only so many times he could stand finding himself on the ground in one day.

"Tomorrow, you can show me how you use that little blade of yours." Julland suggested, helping the Alliance soldier up.

"I'll tell you now, we won't be using our feet so much." Lucas said.

"Hey you two, Nalia wants us up on the top deck. Another meeting, I guess." Dalora interrupted, suddenly walking in on them.

"But I just got the wind knocked out of me. Repeatedly." Lucas protested, still trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry." Dalora shrugged. Regardless, they walked to the elevator to get to the top deck.

In the hallway that led to the bridge, Dolphos' many tentacles swung and negotiated with the numerous consoles. Nalia was glancing at each and every one of them as well. She did not look at the approaching crew members. It seemed like Dr. Jima was also summoned since she was also standing there. Julland spoke for the three new arrivals.

"You requested our presence, Nalia?" Julland asked.

"Yes. Two things must be noted. One, Dolphos, our ever diligent Hanar, has been able to track down the destination of the raider fleet. He was even able to figure out from the exhaust trails how many ships we're looking at." Nalia announced.

"This one can securely estimate the amount of ships from between thirty and fifty. Any further deviation of those numbers are slim, only about ten less or more." Dolphos added.

"Are you sure about this?" Dalora asked.

"Dolphos did have his doubts, until we caught this recent news flash from local communication waves." Nalia explained, showing them a nearby computer panel.

"...Local authorities report a major fuel and repair station has been taken over by pirates early yesterday morning. All attempts to reclaim the facility have been stubbornly fought off..." the news clip reported.

"That would adequately confirm our suspicions." Lucas murmured.

"And two, its the matter of the Geth. We're still trying to figure out why they suddenly decided to get involve." Nalia finished.

"They're synthetics. They hate organics. A virus is a biological weapon that should not harm them. Its the perfect weapon for them." Julland stated.

"But the pirates also want it too..." Nalia murmured.

"They're heartless bastards. They hate people. A virus is a biological weapon that strikes fear and causes much damage. They like it too." Julland responded.

"I don't know. There's something that doesn't seem right about this. I feel like we're missing something." Nalia muttered.

"For once I agree with Nalia. There's a part of the puzzle we still don't have yet...maybe if you hadn't beaten the crap out of the Salarian-"

"Enough, Lucas." Nalia interrupted the lieutenant.

"Look, none of this really matters. We know where our enemy is and we know that where they are, so is the virus. Lets focus on getting them first and dealing with any Geth interruptions as they come up." Dalora suggested.

"A sensible idea." Jima agreed.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a plan yet. We'll work one out when we are able to scan the area and the layout the pirates have on the base. In the meantime, Jima is able to give us her lecture on biological weapons." Nalia stated.

Dr. Jima spelled out everything they needed to know about biological weaponry and whatever precautions were necessary in the typical Quarian in depth ramble. Fortunately, she kept it interesting enough that none of them nodded off to sleep or got too bored. She finally started to wrap up the lecture.

"Finally, and most fortunately, I was able procure four high level bio-hazard suits that should be useful to you all. Yes, I was lucky enough to find a Turian model, Julland. The next time you will have to get anywhere near that virus, you will have to wear those suits. I only caution you that although they have decent shielding power, they were not meant to be combat armor. If a firefight ever blows out, you better find cover and be extra cautious. You will have to be extremely careful should something like that happen. If this virus is as bad as it sounds and your suits get punctured, you're probably already dead...or you will be at least." Jima cautioned grimly.

"Captain Nalia, estimated arrival time in four standard hours." Talana announced as if one cue.

"All right, I guess you all should take a short break before gearing up again. Report back here in three and a half hours." Nalia ordered.

Lucas returned to the bottom floor to give a final check over their weapons and armor. Considering he and Julland had probably swept through them two times before since the attack on the base, there really wasn't anything left to spot. Wondering what else he could do to unwind, he walked over to his star fighter. He was horrified at what he saw.

"Dalora, what you are doing?" Lucas asked alarmed. The mercenary was clearly rooting through the mechanical systems of the fighter. It was obvious she had changed some of the components already. The woman looked up from her work, her hand still clutching a wrench.

"You're just in time. I'm no pilot, but I think you'll notice a difference." Dalora grinned despite the grease stains on her face. Somehow her single braided ponytail was still unsoiled.

"Difference? These are not regulation components." Lucas complained.

"Yeah...they're more powerful than regulation components." Dalora teased.

"But this means I'll have to completely relearn every bit of it."

"Oh stop being such a baby. Trust me, you'll like it." Dalora reassured, patting his shoulder.

"Fine...so, why did you do this?" Lucas asked, calming down a bit.

"Well, you helped me a bit, so I decided to help you a bit. I was working on it while you and Julland took care of the weapons. That's when I was interrupted to fetch you guys." Dalora explained.

"Well...I appreciate it." Lucas thanked her while climbing into the cockpit to go over the specifications checks. Dalora came up and sat on the edge of the cockpit.

"I have a question for you now since you were studying to be a priest." Dalora announced.

"Go ahead."

"What do you think about the Reapers?"

"You referring to their massive god complex and the probability that humans in the past might have been deluded into worshiping them?" Lucas asked.

"Well, perhaps that and maybe even if God created everything, why the Reapers?"

"I see. To answer both questions, the Reapers seem to be a sentient race with their own consciousness. Anything that has that also has free will. They have free will to believe themselves superior and free will to believe they are to destroy us. Christian theologians like to say that this is just a symptom of a fallen universe that was not meant to be."

"But what about Sovereign's talk about being immortal, uncreated?" Dalora asked. Unexpectedly, Lucas laughed.

"Haha. Perhaps delusions of grandeur, perhaps a god complex or brainwashing. I am not at all convinced they're eternal. Only that which is not physical can have any hope of being eternal. Besides, Sovereign showed they could be destroyed. If something can be ended, it must then have a beginning."

"Now I don't mean any disrespect, but didn't Jesus Christ die too?"

"Indeed he did. However, I have yet to hear of Sovereign rising from the dead. Or reincarnating for that matter. Heck, what did it do, go to the great scrap heap in the sky?" Lucas joked.

"No, I guess not."

"And that's the one thing organics will always have over synthetics. Our life isn't confined to machinery, numbers, algorithms, networks or circuitry. We have a soul. We can live again." Lucas explained.

"You think so?"

"Well...I'm just a theist theologian. I'm sure someone else would give you a different answer. That's just what I believe. Me and about a billion or so more humans, more or less."

"I'm glad I can talk to you about this...maybe I'm one of those 'billion or more.' I guess I can't articulate it as well as you, though." Dalora admitted.

"Hmm...now, there's something I'd like to tell you." Lucas admitted.

"What's that?"

"Look, I'm not completely clueless about how you feel about me. I just don't want to lead you on. We've been getting close and all, but..." Lucas trailed off. Dalora felt the first tinge of disappointment. She tried to hide it anyway, hoping against hope.

"But what, Lucas?"

"Well, after years of expecting to be a priest...this, a relationship, I haven't really thought about that. You'll have to give me time to think this through. I don't know if I'm ready...or if I ever will be." Lucas admitted quietly.

"I understand." Dalora forced herself to say.

"...Thanks." Lucas squeaked before abruptly leaving the mercenary alone on his fighter. Dalora sighed. She felt a little numb but she knew the pain would register later when she would let herself feel it.

_"Darn it, just when I felt like I've finally met a decent human being...well...his eyes were...strange, anyway..." _Dalora looked down at her watch. It was going to be an agonizing two hour wait till she had to report. She decided now would be the time to mourn it.


	16. Chapter 15

_"Concentrate!" _

_"This is so hard..."_

_"What will be harder, stupid girl? You lifting those boxes or the back of my hand?" Straining, trying to find the strength within her, she pleaded that she would get it right. To her great relief, she saw that she was starting to glow sapphire._

_"Good...very good...excellent..." the cargo boxes, loaded with so much weight that it took a team of four Batarians to lift a single one, were floating some ten feet off the ground. _

_"Now let them down..." Painfully, the cargo boxes did go down. _

_"Very good. Now its about time we teach you how to use a shotgun. That should be simpler." She cautiously looked up at her tormentor who simply handed her a second rate shotgun._

_"I've told you a hundred times, and I'll tell you again. Don't get any ideas because it won't do you any good. I'm bulletproof."_

* * *

The _Shiloh_ quietly drifted in orbit around the moon described in the news patch and suggested by Dolphos. Looking out the small view ports, it was easy to tell that the moon had little vegetation and was mostly rocky. However, there were clearly areas of habitation since the lights of small cities and towns speckled the dark side of the planet. After a few minutes of intelligence gathering, Nalia called another meeting in the communications room.

"These are the geographical scans of the surrounding area of the fuel station. These are long range photos that we took. As you can see, there's no way to approach the facility without quickly getting shot at. The Mako would get blown to pieces within minutes. However, this is probably going to be the time they're most vulnerable. As soon as they start launching back into the atmosphere they may be able to pick us up on their sensors, even if we are on stealth systems." Nalia explained to them.

"So, any ideas on how to blow them up?" the Asari offered. Julland, Lucas and Dalora stared at her like she was out of her mind.

"What about the virus? Don't you want to recover that?" Dalora asked.

"Note that I said "blow them up," as in explosion. They go up in flames, hopefully the virus goes as well. Dr. Jima did say that extreme temperatures usually denatures most viruses." Nalia shrugged. Julland meanwhile was staring at the geographical layout. As a former Turian commander, he was familiar with negotiating with geographical maps and trying to formulate effective troop movements. He scanned what he saw, thinking through each angle like a mathematician approaching an equation. He needed more information.

"Enlarge map parameters." Julland ordered the computer, which immediately showed him a wider view.

"Nalia, it is in my experience that there is more than one way to end a pirate menace. Is this correct with Terminus pirates?" Julland asked.

"Yes. Often it is just the leader who is holding the whole organization together. If they die, the whole thing usually collapses because the lesser leaders don't have the character to keep it together. Sometimes there isn't even a clear second in command to pick up with the first left off." the Asari replied.

"There is no way we could try to find a way to destroy all these ships. All we need to do is kill one person, and we know who he is. Captain Methalos." Julland stated.

"Computer, bring up a visual image on Captain Methalos." Nalia ordered. After a few seconds, one of the monitors brought up a picture of the cyborg.

"Well, you can't miss him, that's for sure." Dalora commented.

"Indeed...Lucas, I think there's a way we can put your talents to good use." Julland murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"This plateau right here overlooks the center of the valley where the facility is located. It should provide just the right amount of elevation and looks at the port at the right angle. You'll be able to see most anything through your scope." the Turian explained.

"Julland...that's a three mile shot. My scope can't see that far." Lucas retorted.

"That's why you bring me with the binoculars. We'll be able to link up visual information and we can figure it out from there." Julland explained.

"But we don't know where Captain Methalos is on that facility or even his flagship. We may not even see him." Lucas argued.

"But this is our only chance. We might as well take it." the Turian defended.

"He's right, Lucas. If you don't go, I'll make it an order." Nalia asserted.

"All right, all right. However, I want you guys to keep feeding us information that will help us better figure out where this target is."

"Done." Nalia agreed.

The _Shiloh_ dropped the two soldiers several miles away from the actual location to minimize the chance of being spotted. Next, it became a matter of driving the Mako onto the plateau while at the same time trying to make sure none of the vehicle's lights could be spotted. Lucas especially bothered Julland about that. The lieutenant became obsessive when he played the role of a sniper. He didn't even take the chance of a stray light giving away his position.

In the thickest dark of the night, the two set up their position on the far end of the plateau. The lights of the facility were a faint beacon in the distance. Lucas reflected on the deadly art sniping was and what it had turned into in the years after mass effect technology. With the ability to fire a bullet at hypersonic speeds, there was less need fine tune the position of the crosshair because the round spent less time in the air and flew faster and straighter. There was less need to worry about compensating for gravity, wind speed, humidity and to an extent, the Coriolis effect. The fact bullets were shaved from an internal block meant there were no spent shell casings. A sniper could now get a semi-automatic rifle without worry of the weapon giving away his position by carelessly flinging out the casing. Sure, some still preferred the hand operated cocking mechanism, but extremely serious sharpshooters no longer minded the semi auto. Even Lucas had accepted the semi auto configuration of the Dante, made that way so that the internal mechanisms made sure he didn't strain the gun further by firing it before the machine had properly vented off the heat of the last round.

* * *

"Captain Methalos?" the radio crackled in the cyborg's armor. It was his employer and financier.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"There's been a change in plans. I'd like to give a small test run on the parcel you're about to deliver me." the voice answered.

"What did you have in mind?" the raider asked.

"I'll be giving you the coordinates shortly. I'd like you to get to it with all speed."

"I'll leave in morning."

"Very good."

* * *

Lying as still as dead men, Lucas and Julland remained on their perch on the plateau. Try at he might, Lucas couldn't pull any viable targets through his scope. All he could see were small dots roaming around. That's what he was depending on Julland for. The Turian was using high powered binoculars that were synced with the scope via the internal computers. Both were depending on each other's sniping abilities to get this done. That was when they heard their communications array chirp.

"Speak softly. Do not be so loud." Lucas whispered into the device before anyone could talk.

"We have the name of the flagship and Dolphos was able to pinpoint its location. Its the _Swarm_, located near the center of the facility." Nalia's voice answered quietly.

"Roger that." Julland answered before moving his binoculars to the proper position.

"There's the _Swarm_..." Julland muttered. Suddenly, the Turian became agitated.

"Lieutenant, set the computer on your scope to assassinate...Captain Methalos is on visual." Julland hissed. Lucas immediately tapped something on his scope and watched the crosshairs turn blood red. The computer was now calculating a flight path for the bullet to maximize the most damage on any weak point on the target. Unfortunately, the two men had to figure that out since the scope could not detect Methalos or any other target they were trying to sight.

"Seven degrees up, Lieutenant, then four degrees to the right..." Julland ordered. Lucas immediately shifted his rifle to do just that. Meanwhile, Julland was furiously wringing his mind as he tried to calculate the proper firing position.

"Crap..." Julland groaned.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"There's a group of people surrounding him. You won't get a clear shot, Lieutenant." Julland sighed. Lucas lowered his rifle in defeat.

"So much for that." Lucas mumbled. They watched as the distant speck of the _Swarm_ lift off from the port, leaving the others behind. For lack of anything better to do, Julland glumly pulled up his binoculars and stared at the facility again. He suddenly radioed the _Shiloh_.

"_Shiloh_, were there any reports of survivors or hostages in the facility?"

"Negative...this one has been monitoring the situation. Hostages are confirmed dead." Dolphos responded.

"Lucas...you see those structures your scope is currently centered on?" Julland inquired. Lucas glanced back into the glass.

"Yes. Why?"

"Those are fuel silos...large fuel silos used for all manner of space flight needs. One shot from your rifle and it'll set off a chain reaction..." Julland whispered. That's when Lucas noticed there were in fact three of those silos.

"The whole thing will go up in a large explosion." Lucas predicted.

"That...and all the surrounding ships."

"But...should we?" Lucas hesitated. Julland shot a look at him.

"Lieutenant, this is the one chance we have to destroy the entire fleet in a single shot. This may be our last chance. If you do not do this, we may not get another easy chance and we may even die on a future attempt. It doesn't get much easier than this." Julland snapped.

"All right, all right...brace yourself." Lucas warned. The sniper found the center silo and paused for a moment. There was no reason for it, but habits die hard. Check wind speed and all environmental factors. Compensate for all. Keep the gun steady. Take a slow, deep breath. Fire.

It was tempting to watch the path of the bullet tear through the air but both he and Julland immediately clutched their ears and shoved their faces in the dirt. It only took a moment. It took an eternity. In an instance all the noise in the universe exploded into their world as a massive shock wave rattled pass them. When the two soldiers finally worked the nerve to look up, all they saw was a large crater in the ground with a large plume of smoke rising to the sky.

"Lets get out of here, pack it up." Julland ordered.

They were just several feet from the Mako when suddenly the earth rumbled underneath them. Both men struggled to get their way to the vehicle as it seemed like the ground was going to tear itself apart.

"Earthquake!" Julland yelled over the din.

"There's a connection here, I know it." Lucas muttered.

"_Shiloh,_ this is the sniper team. Get to our position immediately, we are in grave danger!" Julland yelled into the comm. By the time the spacecraft arrived on their position, five explosions had rung out earlier. Gathering ash that started to turn the sky black were the first signs that the after explosions had been volcanoes.

Back on the _Shiloh,_ the team gathered in the hallway behind the bridge, watching the latest information feed. Everything was starting to fall together on why all the catastrophic events happened all at once. The facility's fuel silos were in fact built into the ground. The site itself was on top of a major fault line. The massive shock from the explosion set off the fault line, causing the earthquake and awakening a once stable tectonic plate. Now, a chain of volcanoes were suddenly active and were spewing a large cloud of ash that threatened to engulf the moon. Several towns were already effected. The terrestrial temperatures were be out of whack for months, if not a year or two.

"The casualty reports are coming in...wow..." Nalia gasped as she saw the number pop on screen. They all stared at the figures.

"Darn. I know snipers like to talk about one shot, one kill...Lucas, that was quite a shot. One shot and you took out a whole fleet, plus 23,567 others. Mostly killed from the volcanic eruptions and earthquake." the Asari ranted. Lucas did not seem at all pleased. Instead, he glared back at her.

"...That's it? They're just statistics!? Because of me, 23,567 innocent people are dead!" Lucas yelled. The hallway became silent. Disgusted and clearly upset, the infiltrator left the deck.

"I don't think that was the best thing to say to him." Dalora whispered.

"He just wiped out ninety percent of our problems when that fleet went up in flames with the facility. I'm not sure he fully grasps that." Nalia retorted.

"No, he just fully grasps the concept of 23,567 dead and counting..." Dalora answered quietly before leaving.

Dalora found a very silent Lucas sulking in a silent corner of the cargo hold, secluded behind a few containers. She took a seat next to him. She noticed he had his rosary in his hand.

"I'm sure God won't put you too long in purgatory for what happened if that's what you're worried about. You could not have known that was going to happen. I'm sure He'll understand." Dalora said softly. Lucas managed a weak smile.

"That's actually not what I'm worried about. I just...didn't like that a shot like that was marred by so many innocent deaths. That should not have happened. That's not why I became a sniper." Lucas murmured.

"Then why did you?"

"So I could clearly see who was going to die. I would know that they deserved death, that they weren't an innocent civilian or maybe just someone who didn't need to die. I could be sure that when I pulled the trigger, it was a proper target. The one time I could not properly see what was on the other end of my scope, and I caused the most damage any sniper ever had and yet caused too much. That's not what I want to remembered for. I only wanted to minimize the loss of life."


	17. Chapter 16

_It had been a few years. Years of hearing how bulletproof he was. Years of hearing how she shouldn't get any ideas. She learned how to use a shotgun proficiently and how to turn a cargo hold into a deadly blender of spinning crates with her biotics. Perhaps in a way she owed the poor excuse of a living being a few things. She owed him nothing. She knew since day one that she was simply another tool, a profitable investment. She had paid her debt. She simply left the space port on another ship. The one pirate that noticed her was taken care of with a simple shotgun blast. She was going to need to find a proper living now. What could she do with the skills she had learned? She wondered how many others out there thought they were bulletproof. She wondered how many she could prove wrong..._

* * *

"Are you sure this is where the exhaust trail leads to?" Nalia asked.

"I've followed the signature Dolphos highlighted for me. This is where it led me to. Perhaps he got the wrong ship." Talana suggested.

"No. Only one ship left and that was the _Swarm._ All right, I guess this is where it leads. Bring us down, there was a reason he stopped at this compound." Nalia ordered.

The _Shiloh _had been following the trail of the _Swarm_ doggedly. They had been brought to this backwater planet that did not seem to be all that inhabited. The ground itself was devoid of vegetation or even seemingly of water. Considering the nearby star was quite a distance away, it was poorly illuminated and the weak atmosphere left a mostly dark sky.

After a quick drop and a short ride, Nalia, Julland, Lucas, Dalora and Dr. Jima were staring at the compound. This time, the Asari Spectre thought it would be a good idea to have the doctor around just in case of a pathological problem. The Quarian activated her omni-tool and hit a few buttons.

"Right now I'm not picking up anything...viral scans are not reporting anything out of the ordinary." Jima reported.

"All right, I guess we should move in..." Nalia announced. No one did anything except hesitate. Even if there was only one more ship to track down, the thought that that one ship had the virus was unnerving enough. They all shuffled on their feet. Even the good doctor seemed on edge. Finally, Nalia did something.

"For the love of the goddess..." Nalia muttered in exasperation as she hit the door console. Out of habit, Dalora went in first, followed by Julland, Lucas, Nalia and finally Dr. Jima.

Nothing was out of the ordinary at first. The interior was decently lit, though deathly quiet. Not even the machines were running. The total silence was what the Quarian picked up on at first.

"This is it too quiet. At least a single console or power junction should be making noise. Not a single machine is activated." Jima observed.

"That is a bit unusual. Jima, just keep your scanner running and let us know the moment something comes up." Nalia told her. Jima nodded the affirmative.

"Nothing in this room, preparing to open the next door." Dalora announced quietly. No sooner did she hit the console button did the lights go out. They paused in the darkness.

"Trap." Julland stated, alarmed.

"I'm not picking up hostile contacts on my radar." Dalora stated.

"Power failure?" Jima offered.

"Everyone just turn out your helmet lights." Lucas stated, turning on his own. The two beams cast an eerie glow in the black. Slowly, everyone else did as well.

"Seems like the door console has failed." Dalora said, noticing the unresponsive device.

"That would be consistent with a power failure." Jima stated.

"Nevermind, just open it." Nalia ordered.

"Its sealed tight. I don't see a manual override." the mercenary responded.

"Here, let me take care of it. All of you, get back into that hallway." Julland told them, pulling out his grenades and latching them onto the door. After the Turian set four of the explosives on the door panel, he joined the others behind cover and hit the remote detonator. The door shuddered under the explosion but remained on its hinges. Walking up to it, Julland sent his foot into it and the door gave way. They pressed on in the darkness.

"Are you picking up anything?" Nalia asked Dalora up front.

"Nothing. Visibility is limited, but from what I can see, this room is empty." Dalora answered, the light ports on her helmet swept the area. Nothing but a deserted compound. Jima shone her lights on the nearby walls.

"These are designs used by the Geth...this was a Geth compound. Perhaps they abandoned it?" Jima offered.

"I doubt he would have to rest here. Besides, the Geth tried to kill them. None of this is adding up." Julland mumbled.

"I don't see any other hallways. Maybe if we go-" Dalora was suddenly cut off when she tripped and fell on the floor. Before anyone could rush over to help her get up, something else caught their attention. Dalora had tripped over the lifeless hull of a Geth trooper.

"Is it...dead?" Nalia asked, not believing what she saw. Jima walked over an inspected it.

"Its lifeless all right, but I don't see any gunshot damage or anything that might suggest why it died.

"It's not the only one, they're all over the compound." Julland said, finally illuminating the floor.

"The Geth are scattered all over the floor. None of them look like they were shot, though. It's as if they just suddenly collapsed." Lucas observed. A dozen Geth bodies ranging from regular troopers to shock troopers littered the area. All were simply sprawled out onto the floor.

"That seems to be the case...whatever happened here, Captain Methalos might know. Come on, lets get out of here. I'm starting to get the creeps." Nalia stated. Without realizing it, they ignored the normal combat formation and left in a hurry.

While the _Shiloh_ resumed tracking down the raider captain's vessel, the crew got back to waiting around. It was during these times that Lucas often was counseling Dalora over her night terrors. Despite the lieutenant's halting anything further on a personal relationship, they were still able to get these things worked out to a point.

"So, what do you think is causing them? Bad memories that I never really dealt with?" Dalora asked after a session. Lucas had pulled out his omni-tool.

"That has something to do with it. However, I suddenly realized there may be another thing that might have something to do with it." Lucas announced.

"Really? What?"

"Do you have any other symptoms? Migraines, vertigo, memory loss, dizziness, inexplicable pain?" Lucas inquired.

"Nope. Other than the on and off nightmares, I'm fine. That, and the bad memories." _"A few hurt feelings as well." _Dalora thought sadly.

"What biotic implants are you installed with?" the lieutenant asked.

"Biotic implants? What are you talking about?" Dalora blinked. Lucas stared at her hard.

"You're a biotic and you don't know about biotic implants?"

"Um...no." Dalora said flatly.

"All human biotics are surgically fitted with biotic implants. Without them, they usually can't generate enough biotic power to do squat. L3s are safer, though generally weaker. However, you're a rather powerful biotic, just as good as Nalia, an Asari. You probably have the older and more dangerous L2s. I'm going to scan you now to check for that. If all you've had was night terrors from L2s, you're darn lucky." Lucas explained.

"But I don't ever remember having surgery. Wouldn't I have scars or something, or at least notice anything?" Dalora sputted.

"That's what bothers me. I can't imagine what the pirates might have installed in you. It might be life threatening." Lucas murmured as he pointed his omni-tool at her and ran the scans.

"You find anything?" Dalora asked after ten minutes.

"I've run this scan five times and it can't be right." Lucas muttered.

"What's it say?"

"You don't have implants."

"I told you." Dalora asserted.

"Yes...and looking at the layout of your nervous system, I know why you never needed implants...though I'm finding it hard to believe." Lucas announced.

"Why? What?"

"Your nervous system has highly developed nodes where you may draw on your biotic powers. I went through a quick medical elective course back in basic on military biotics. Element zero nodes in a nervous system are never as developed in a human as they are with you. Apparently, they're so strong that you never needed an implant. That's extremely rare." Lucas explained.

"What are you saying?"

"Your element zero nodes are extremely similar to that of an Asari." Lucas answered. Dalora stared at him.

"You can't be serious."

"It's the only explanation." Lucas shrugged.

"I am not an Asari!"

"No, you're not. You probably had a parent or a grandparent that was an Asari."

"What?" Dalora asked incredulously.

"Its strange, I know. Usually the offspring of an Asari takes on the characteristics of an Asari. However, for whatever reason, whether from your parents or close ancestors, you became a human with Asari biotic abilities. Ah well, that's just the nature of the genome, I guess. Either way, this means that you're perfectly fine and don't need to worry about defective implants. This also means that your nightmares are purely from a psychological/emotional condition."

"I'm half Asari!?" Dalora screeched.

"Yes, that is another conclusion."

"Gosh darn it...they're even in my family history."

"...Yeah..."

Julland was at the mess table enjoying a warm drink while he reflected on the better part of the past year. He had been a commander in the Turian military until he broke from protocol. He was then transferred to C-Sec and stripped of his rank. The demotion was a disgrace both to himself and those who had promoted him to that rank. His old superiors no longer wished to speak to him because of this unless he somehow redeemed himself. As far as C-Sec work went, it was an insult and a personal hell. Now, Nalia, the eccentric Asari Spectre, had called him back to a military position. That human, Lucas, insisted on calling him by his old rank. He was a soldier again chasing a ruthless cyborg pirate who had a particularly dangerous virus. The Turian put the mug down and chuckled.

"Sure beats another day at the office."

* * *

"Captain, you're not going to believe where this leads to." Talana announced as they broke through the atmosphere.

"Wouldn't be the first time. If this is where it leads, this is where it leads to." Nalia shrugged.

"Yes, but do you realize what this facility is?" Talana asked.

"Tell me."

"Its a large weapons manufacturing plant, I know that much. Perhaps Dolphos can identify the company."

"You onto that, Dolphos?" Nalia asked.

"This one is running a quick search. The results are most happily positive. This facility is the main plant for the Elkoss Combine." the Hanar reported.

"Elkoss Combine. Huh. Talana, call in Julland, Dalora and Lucas. We're going in as soon as you touch down on that facility.

"Yes, milady."

Nalia led the team of four at a brisk pace over the ceiling of the facility which also served as a large landing pad. As they ran, they could not help but notice the jarring fact that there was no destruction. Captain Methalos had not launched an attack on the facility. At least, that is what it seemed like.

"Did the station control contact us as we landed?" Lucas asked, clutching the Dante as they jogged.

"No, but that doesn't mean anything. A manufacturing facility here in the Terminus would welcome any potential customer." Nalia answered. They got to the large door and quickly filed inside.

Loosely maintaining their usual order, they quickly went through the hallway, heading towards the sky lobby. The armed party was even more surprised to find a Volus receptionist staring back at them.

"Ah, welcome visitors. There is no reason to have your weapons out. How may we at Elkoss Combine serve you?" the Volus asked. Nalia immediately leaned over the counter and rammed her pistol into the frightened receptionist's head.

"Where is Captain Methalos, the Cyborg!" Nalia growled.

"H-He went that way. Towards the CEO's office!" the receptionist squeaked in terror. Nalia immediately took off in the right direction followed by the others. Lucas quietly apologized to the traumatized Volus as they left.

"Any ideas what might be going around here?" Nalia demanded as they ran. They started to turn a corner.

"Perhaps you should ask me." a large man they ran into grunted. The four stopped dead in their tracks. The large man had his own group with him, roughly eight heavily armed and armored men.

"Captain Methalos!" Nalia snarled.


	18. Chapter 17

Outnumbered two to one, the group nonetheless came to an uneasy stand off as the Spectre and raider captain continued to glare each other down. Not a single muscle moved as each kept their weapons aimed at the other. There was a moment of silence as Nalia decided what to do next.

"This is the end of the line, Captain Methalos." Nalia announced.

"You seem to know a lot about me. I do not even know your name or who you are." Methalos answered.

"You need not, and will not know either."

"Very well. I assume you're the reason my covert ops group was destroyed and you're the other group of attackers other than the Geth on that one planet. Anything else you might have done that I do not know about?" Methalos asked, his left mechanical eye straining in on each of them.

"That's about all you need to know." Julland murmured as he chose a target with his assault rifle.

"Hmm. You do not speak much."

"Shut up and tell us where you put the virus." Nalia ordered.

"So it's all about the virus then. What is your interest in it?"

"That is none of your concern. Where is it?" the Asari demanded, her pistol aimed directly at his head.

"Its with the CEO now. He's the one that paid me for it. Now, since you've been a most rude guest, this conversation is over. Kill them." he ordered soldiers. The gloves were off. Methalos felt the first bullet.

It was a rather odd sight. His shields absorbed most of the blast but the bullet had exploded with a large concussion. So great was the force that he was taken off his feet and was tossed some distance back. Looking up, he saw the opposing sniper salute him once, before putting away the powerful rifle and tearing out his pistol. Everyone else was finding something to cower behind.

Julland stood out in the open, laying down broad fields of fire so the rest of his team could get to safety. The Turian ignored the periodic pulses when his shields absorbed a bullet. When the last one finally found something to hide behind, Julland spitefully riddled an incompetent pirate before diving behind cover.

Dalora had powered a biotic barrier over herself as she weighed her options. She had squeezed a shotgun round off in the initial skirmish and swiftly chambered another one. Who was going to be her next target? Taking a quick glance around and finding no one in sight, she biotic pushed a heavy desk to an area that seemed promising. She was pleased to hear screams of agony a few moments later.

Nalia plugged away with her pistol. Deadly accurate, she nailed the last pirate right between the eyes. Slowly, the rest of her squad stepped from out of their cover. Julland's shields visibly recharged having taken on the brunt of the fighting. Lucas replaced his pistol at his hip and readied his rifle. Dalora still had a biotic barrier surrounding her. They quickly scanned the damage.

"I count eight...where's Methalos?" Julland asked. Before anyone could say anything, a blue light opened up above them and they were quickly drawn towards the center of it. Helplessly floating above the floor and unable to control their movements, the four gaped in shock as Methalos stepped confidently beneath them.

"My quarrel is not with you. Thanks for knocking out a few dead weights on my ship. You leave me be, I'll leave you." the cyborg flashed a cheeky grin before walking back towards the landing docks.

"Can you believe this?" Dalora growled in frustration as they continued their orbits around the singularity rift.

"That we're stuck here or that Methalos was a biotic?" Nalia asked.

"Both!"

"Miss Algre, I haven't believed a thing since this all started. I'm still waiting to wake up at my desk and realize I fell asleep and still have a mountain of paperwork to do. Oh wait, even if this is reality I _still_ have a mountain of paper work to return to." Julland grumbled, somehow managing to keep his arms folded across his chest as they floated in the empty space.

"We have to go after him." Dalora asserted.

"What's the use? He's only got one ship left and he doesn't have fleet. What matters now is getting that virus." Nalia argued.

"Makes sense." Lucas murmured.

"You bet it does." Nalia retorted.

"Fine." Dalora relented. At that moment the singularity field wore off and they landed in a heap on the floor. Finding their footing, the four rushed off towards the office doors of the CEO.

Caught off guard, the two security guards standing outside the door were quickly knocked out by Julland and Lucas. Dalora meanwhile made sure that the secretary did not warn the boss at the point of her shotgun. Nalia was the one who broke down the door and stormed in. No one could have guessed what they found inside.

Another Volus sat at the desk. On the tabletop was a small nameplate with the name "Vink Horlorn" inscribed on it. The Volus CEO looked up at them.

"This is unexpected. I do not normally entertain such heavily armed customers. Do you have a complaint? You're in the wrong department." Vink told them, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"I need the virus Captain Methalos delivered to you. Where is it?" Nalia demanded once again. They heard the Volus chuckle.

"Ah...I suppose you must be a Spectre, how else would you have gotten such a pistol like that? I'm sorry,but you're too late to recover what you want. Not that I would have given it to you while it was still in my possession." Vink answered.

"You sold it off?" Julland asked with disbelief.

"Oh no, that would be an inefficient use of its potential. It was immediately delivered to a special team that will take it to the Citadel where it will be properly utilize."

"You're going to set off a deadly disease on the Citadel? Why would you do such a thing? What have you to gain from it?" Lucas demanded.

"What? You think this is a disease? Oh my, you are mistaken." Vink answered. The four became deathly silent.

"What the heck have we been chasing this whole time then?" Lucas asked.

"Well, I can see why you thought it was a disease when you heard the word virus. You wouldn't be too far off. You were thinking of a biological virus. Somehow it never occurred to you that it would be a computer virus." Vink explained.

"What's so significant of this computer virus?" Nalia demanded.

"Its a very special one. They are of unknown origin. This has all been part of a plan of mine. I let Devlon Industries get a hold of the sample since I knew exactly what they would do. They would test it on destroying the Geth. They kept records of it as well. If the virus is planted into a Geth terminal, it immediately goes out and seeks other Geth computers, including the neural network of those monsters. It actively destroys them, going along the cyber pathways and electronic communications."

"So the Salarian was telling the truth." Nalia murmured.

"And that's why the Geth want it so bad. They want to destroy it." Dalora added. Vink held up a cautioning hand.

"Not so fast. This virus works both ways. The electronic pathogen actually starts with nano-robots that are similar to biological viruses. They keep themselves shielded in spores and are highly resistant to destruction. If attached to an electronic device, it will seek to destroy the electronics through malicious programming. Devlon Industries scientist also discovered that if the nano-robots are exposed to biological flesh, the robots themselves go active and will induce a very quick and painful sickness that usually ends in death." Vink explained.

"So why are you releasing this on the Citadel. You still haven't told us why." Julland asked.

"I don't plan to cause a mass slaughter like you assumed I did. My plan is simply justice."

"Justice? What are you talking about?" Lucas asked.

"Over your lousy race, earth clan! The Volus have contributed far longer to Council space than your puny civilization. However, in short time you have a human Spectre and a human seat on the Council. Meanwhile, my kind gave the Council economic stability and prosperity. None of these are recognized. We are told we haven't contributed enough in weapons and fleets. Bah, if only they realized that credits are more powerful than fleets. The fleets are built on credits! That is why I'm going to show them just how much they need us. The virus will be planted in the main bank on the Citadel, the control of all Council credits. Once released, they will actively seek out an annihilate the electronic credits, bringing the Council economy to a halt. Then they will realize just how much the Volus have given them." Vink judged. Nalia reacted violently.

Vink was slugged across the face before being grabbed roughly by the throat.

"Where is this delivery team going? Tell me now before I come up with a particularly gruesome way for you to go."

"Feros! They're stopping at Feros before they go to the Citadel!" Vink yelled.

"And where was this virus found? Who found it?"

"I don't know, I just got the information from the Shadow Broker!" the hapless Volus admitted before being dropped back on the floor. He found himself staring at a pistol barrel when he looked up.

"I ought to splatter your brains all over the floor." Nalia growled. Surprisingly, Vink did not flinch.

"Go ahead...there's no stopping it now." Before Nalia could react, her communications array went off.

"Go ahead, Talana...understood...hold it secure, we'll be right up." Nalia whispered.

"What's wrong?" Julland asked. Nalia did not look at him.

"However, I'll let you die in a better way." Nalia announced to Vink.

"What do you mean?"

"There's Geth dropships swarming all over the landing dock right now." Nalia answered before leading her team out. The trembling Volus quickly got up and got to his desk panel, quickly calling up all security that he could. He hurriedly sent a message.

"Feros sleeper cell, prepare yourself for some unwanted guests. They should be arriving in a day or so...yes, arm the weapon. We must keep as much attention away from the real delivery team as possible."

Upstairs on the docks, Nalia, Julland, Dalora and Lucas ran into a hail of Geth gunfire. The _Shiloh_ cargo bay was open while the Asari marines fired from the open space, trying to cover the away team so they could get inside.

"Move it!" Julland yelled at the others before valiantly stepping into the line of fire, using himself as a shield. Again he drew on his old training to stand in the face of heavy fire, depending on the quality of his armor. He moved with the group as he kept his assault rifle firing. They were only half way to the ship when he saw his shields burn out.

Julland only grunted with pain as a bullet torn into his left shoulder. Still he kept his gun going. Another bullet to his waist. Another slammed in his left arm. Growling, Julland refused to give up firing. Finally a bullet tore into his knee and the Turian buckled to the ground. Determined, Julland leaned on his side and kept firing with his assault rifle. He felt himself getting dragged.

"We're not leaving you behind, big guy." Nalia grinned as she dragged him. Meanwhile, Lucas and Dalora covered the Turian who no longer had any protection.

"Hurry up, get him inside!" Dr. Jima yelled from the cargo bay. Nalia ground her teeth and pulled harder.

Outside, Lucas furiously worked the Dante, exploding Geth troopers with accurate shots. At these long ranges, Dalora used her Karpov pistol. Lucas chanced a look behind him.

"Dalora, come on, they're inside." Lucas yelled. They both ran towards the ramp. Lucas was already halfway up the ramp when he heard Dalora cry out in pain. The sniper looked back, finding the mercenary on her stomach some five feet on the ramp. There was already a pool of red forming on her back.

"Lucas, get back in here!" Nalia yelled.

"No!" Lucas yelled back and scrambled for the mercenary. Already under heavy fire, Lucas wondered how he was going to save Dalora without exposing her to further fire. The lieutenant hurried to come up with a plan in three seconds.

Dalora had never quiet felt this kind of pain before and her vision was already starting to go black. She was nearly surprised to find Lucas on top of her, shielding her with his own armor. The blue bolts of Geth bullets were already severely weakening his own shields. In her slowly slipping consciousness, she started to realize she couldn't quite figure out what was happening. She felt herself getting lifted into the air. Lucas carried her in front of him, a protective hand making sure her head stayed securely in front of his chest. She thought she heard something whispered to her. She tried to process it. She heard the _Shiloh_ doors closing behind her and felt herself dropped on the ground. Dr. Jima was working frantically while Julland writhed in pain next to her. What was it that Lucas had whispered to her? She tried to work it out. She finally did before everything went dark.

"...Did you fall...my little lamb?"


	19. Chapter 18

Julland felt his eyes open. Somehow this looked very familiar. The Turian sat up on the bed he was resting on. He realized there were several places on him that felt especially sore. His entire left arm and shoulder felt stiff while a painful spot complained on his waist. His knee popped when he put weight on it.

"Well...could be worse." Julland mumbled.

"Mr. Sarrix, you're up." Jima greeted as she walked by. Julland looked over at the bed next to him. Lucas gave a small wave as he was sitting next to a still unconscious Dalora. Dr. Jima decided to answer both of the mens' questions.

"Julland, other than being a little stiff, you'll be fine. As for Dalora, the bullet nicked an artery and the blood loss was substantial but she should recover. Hopefully your next scrap won't be as bad as the last one." Dr. Jima said.

"You know doc, I had no clue you knew how to work a shotgun like that." Lucas stated.

"What?" Julland asked.

"Two Geth Destroyers had followed me up the ramp. Jima pulled Dalora's shotgun before hacking into one of the Destroyer's electronics. They immediately started fighting each other. That's when Jima worked a carnage round in the shotgun and sent them both up in flames." Lucas explained.

"Wow...that's impressive, Doctor." Julland agreed. Dr. Jima brought a hand up to where her mouth would be behind the environmental helmet. A blush perhaps?

"Thanks you two. There's a few things they taught me back on the Flotilla. I'm surprised I remembered how to use both." Jima admitted.

"When do you think she'll be up?" Lucas asked the Quarian in reference to Dalora.

"Within the hour. She'll be sore, of course and perhaps a bit tired. However, I helped the blood loss by giving her a unit of it, so it won't be so bad." Jima explained.

"Thanks...as for the Commander, I better drag him onto the deck. Nalia wanted to see us as soon as either of you woke up." Lucas explained. The Turian groaned again. Why was it that every time he woke up from a particularly bad fight, the first thing he had to do was see that Asari? Nonetheless, Julland manage to hobble up to the top deck.

"Ah, I see that the military boys are up and ready." Nalia observed in her usual smooth voice when the two came up to her.

"I'm not sure I'm exactly 'ready' in any sense of the word, but give me the briefing anyway." Julland grumbled.

"Very well. While you and Dalora were in the medical bay, we were trying to hunt down the precise location of where this virus went. All the reports and scans point to a single old Prothean tower complex located in an archipelago on the Feros planet. It only seems fitting; that archipelago doesn't have any civilian or commercial populations. For all practical purposes, its completely abandoned." Nalia announced.

"Well...was abandoned." Lucas corrected.

"That's what we suspect." Nalia said.

"Hey, you guys aren't going to leave me out, are you?" a weak voice asked behind them. It was a rather fatigued looking Dalora.

"Miss Algre, are you sure you're ready for combat again? I can't have you slowing down a mission." Nalia warned.

"Sure, I look a little tired, but get me a cup of strong coffee and I'll be fine." Dalora asserted.

"You sure about that? What did Dr. Jima said?" Lucas asked.

"I just needed a little rest. Coffee is a quick substitute for that. You should know that." Dalora responded. Lucas just rolled his eyes.

"Really? I never knew that." Nalia frowned.

"It's a human thing." Dalora explained.

"Oh."

The landscape of Feros is dotted with massive Prothean skyscrapers above a ground of rubbish. All the materials that used to be part of a sprawling urban environment had collapsed, leaving the ground nothing but a large carpet several feet thick of machine and building parts. The only viable living spaces are the ancient skyscrapers and most of them are already unstable. Under the cover of night, the _Shiloh_ pulled into one of the abandoned landing docks in the side of the towers. The boarding door open to immediately reveal Nalia and her usual away squad, their weapons trained in front of them. They found the dockyard deserted if not a bit decrepit. They paused for a moment to regroup.

"_Shiloh,_ can you scan the place and give us something to work on?" Nalia spoke into her comm link.

"This one has already done so. There is nothing of interest in this tower. Most interestingly, all the activity is going on in the nearby tower some three miles to the east of here. Sensors indicate that the tram line from this tower to there is still viable. This one is earnestly sending you the layouts of that tower right now." Dolphos answered. Immediately, the HUDs of their helmets started to process the incoming data. The four sat down to process it all.

"Judging by the life signs and machine signatures, they have that place well guarded. We're going to have to break up in teams to do this. At the top of the tower is the security center. Right here in the middle of the tower is where the unusual energy signature is coming from. I'll bet that's where they're keeping the virus. Lucas and Julland, I want you two to head up to that security center and open a pathway for us. Do whatever damage you can as well if they have drones and other automated weapons set up. Dalora, you and I are going to get in there and retrieve the virus." Nalia said.

"All right. Let's do this." Julland responded.

The daylight was already beginning to touch the skies by the time they got on the tram line. When they arrived at the targeted structure, dawn was already getting bright. All of this was lost in the eerie halls of the Prothean tower. The four cautiously filed out of the tram, each expecting to get fired on. Fortunately, that did not occur, at least, not yet. Having established the immediate area clear, they regrouped one last time.

"All right, you two boys be good and don't to anything stupid. I'm sure you'll take the more obscure route to avoid detection. Dalora and I will try to get as close as possible to the virus' location. Hopefully, we'll see you two soon." Nalia stated. Julland and Lucas nodded before disappearing into a doorway. Alone, the two women weighed their options.

"I don't like any of these routes. Its like choosing between the ones where we're most likely to get killed and the ones were most likely to get lost." Dalora complained.

"I know exactly what you mean. We'll go down this one." Nalia stated before walking off the appropriate direction.

"Why did you chose that one?"

"No reason, it just looked interesting."

Lucas and Julland walked carefully through the hallway, trying to stay out of the light. The silence was starting to get to their minds. Neither would describe themselves as the superstitious type, but perhaps there was something to be said about ghosts haunting certain places. Lucas broke the silence to ease the tension.

"So if you don't mind my asking, why did you ever disobey that one order that got you transferred into C-Sec? You don't seem to be the type to do that, if you ask me, at least." Lucas asked quietly. Julland sighed.

"I was part of a recon team. Our job was to take care of a string of Geth outposts. We got to this one compound that was particularly well guarded. There was a lot of debate about what to do, but finally it was decided we would go ahead with the attack. The only thing was that we would send one technician to hack into the Geth armature controls to even the odds. However, no sooner we started the attack, we found out that the Geth already knew what was going to happen and destroyed the control terminal. There was no way the armatures could be hacked for a sufficient amount of time." Julland explained.

"So what happened?"

"I wanted to pull the men back and save that one technician. There was no reason for her to get killed like that. Unfortunately, the captain refused to retreat. We argued on the battlefield. I told him to pull the men back while I went to save the technician. Turns out her communications array got knocked out so she had no idea what was going on. Things got heated and I finally walked out on my captain to go save the technician. I got blamed when the line broke. We lost a lot of comrades that day." Julland sighed.

"But you saved the technician?"

"Yep. That made it all worth it."

"Why was this technician so special?" Lucas inquired. Julland hesitated.

"She was the equivalent of my fiancée in your language, Lucas." the Turian explained.

"I see...well...at least you still had each other, right?"

"...No. When a Turian is demoted, it is a disgrace to the superiors who promoted him. They are the ones who feel the shame. The ones who were instrumental in promoting me was my father and the father of my fiancée. I felt the shame too, of course. After what happened my father no longer wished to speak to me. Her dad forbade the relationship and refused that we even speak to each other. We both lost our positions in the military." Julland explained quietly.

"...I'm sorry about that." Lucas apologized.

"Don't worry about it."

The two continued to walk down the hallway when they suddenly stopped. Their onboard radar systems started going off as numerous red dots appeared on their scanner.

"I don't see anything." Julland hissed.

"Wait...they're not pirates..." Lucas whispered. Suddenly a shadow flickered. From the shades, a large creature with beady black eyes and saber teeth walked into the light. Numerous others were right behind it.

"Varren." Lucas growled. He fired the first shot, immediately causing the lead varren to spontaneously erupt into flames. The sniper quickly pulled out his pistol. The varren started attacking en masse. Without missing a step from firing his assault rifle, Julland reached behind his back and tossed Lucas his shotgun.

"Never mind that little hand gun. Use this." Julland ordered.

"I'm not trained to use a shotgun." Lucas argued.

"That's the beauty of the shotgun. Just pump, point and shoot. Anyone can use it." the Turian explained.

"All right." Lucas conceded, slamming a round into the chamber before firing a blast into the nearest group of carnivores.

"Wait for them to get close in large group. Take care of the ones I miss." Julland suggested as he continued to hose the creatures with bullets. The Turian was glad he had just installed frictionless materials into his gun. Lucas snapped another round in before spraying an approaching pack of varren.

"You're getting the hang of it, Lieutenant." Julland commented, mowing down more who were getting too close. Suddenly, their comm link went off.

"Hey...you mind if we borrow Julland?" Nalia's voice asked.

"We're kind of busy at the moment." Lucas replied over the noise of the shotgun and assault rifle.

"Really? So are we. We are a bit surrounded by pirates at the moment so could you please send Julland over when you're done?"

"Just give us a moment, Captain. The Commander will be there in a few moments." Lucas answered.


	20. Chapter 19

Dalora and Nalia were pinned down in the middle of the hallway. Both hugged the walls as best as they could while firing up their biotics whenever given the opportunity. Somehow, the pirates were able to attack them from both ends. Nalia covered their front while Dalora shot at any that appeared behind them. It was not the most pleasant situation to be in.

"Nalia, what happens if Julland gets surrounded himself?" Dalora asked, barely registering a round flying past her ear.

"The Turian won't go down easily. He's been through worse before." Nalia responded.

"Are you sure?" Dalora asked before using a biotic push.

"There's a reason I keep him around."

* * *

Julland and Lucas stood in the hallway, sweat rolling down their faces as they fought off the last of the varren. A thick pile of varren bodies had built up in front of them, forming a kind of macabre wall. The Turian swept his gun over three of the creatures who stopped to absorb the fury of rounds landing on them. A smarter one side stepped the bullets to attack Lucas head on. Its intelligence ended however, when it mistook the shotgun for an extension of Lucas' body. Just as Julland's last three varren collapsed with bullet riddled bodies, Lucas pulled the trigger on the shotgun, instantly disintegrating the varren's skull. They did not even take a moment to pause. Lucas tossed Julland's shotgun back to him while he got out the Dante. Julland immediately started sprinting down the hall as best he could with a sore knee.

"Good luck, Lieutenant. May we see each other when this is over."

"Godspeed, Commander." Lucas blessed before pausing a moment to catch is breath. Needing something further to gather himself, the sniper crossed himself before moving on. He prayed there would be no more varren.

The sniper was once again the hunter. Stalking through the shadows, refusing to betray even a sound, he moved as quickly and as silently as he could through the corridors. Up a few flights of stairs, avoiding elevators and the light, Lucas soon found himself at the security nexus. Outside was a squad of pirates guarding the area. Creeping off to the side of the doorway so that he would shoot out diagonally and avoid being spotted, Lucas thought of his options. There were no explosive containers or anything else he could use to his advantage. There was also a lot of them. Did he sabotage their weapons first or snipe one? Lining up one on his scope, he took a deep breath. Take the shot, or no?

* * *

Nalia administered a unit of medi-gel onto a profusely bleeding arm. She was pleased when she saw that the trickle of red come to a halt, coupled with the sight of her shields powering up to the fullest. She was back in the action. Dalora on the other hand did not want to spend another return trip in the medical bay and was playing it safe. She waited to hear the footsteps of an attacking pirate. Suddenly she pounced up and fired a round of deadly buckshot. The pirate fell backwards with a violent thud and became very still. She had taken one down, but now things were getting desperate.

"Where is Julland?" Dalora growled.

"When he comes by and saves our hides..." Nalia murmured.

"What?"

"I'm going to beat the Turian snot out of him." It was at that moment that they heard several unexpected cries of pain. The next second, Julland suddenly appeared in the hallway, having apparently bashed the pirates behind him into the next life. Julland quickly took command of the situation and immediately took care of the raiders Nalia was dealing with. That finished, the Turian scanned the area before lowering his rifle.

"Seems like your problems are taken care of." Julland muttered. Dalora watched Nalia step up to him and waited for the inevitable sound of flesh smacking against the hardened Turian skin. To her surprise, Nalia got on the tip of her toes and pecked the Turian on his mandible. Julland raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um...thanks. How about we get back to business?" Julland asked. Nalia and Dalora formed up with him and they made their way further down the hall.

"I wonder how Lucas if faring." Dalora murmured.

"Think we should radio him?" Nalia asked.

"Don't. He's a sniper. He'd probably yell at you for making a noise." Julland warned.

* * *

Lucas typed into the door console. It took a few shots from his rifle and viciously lashing out with his blade but finally he was able to get to this door. The infiltrator pushed it aside before assassinating the only pirate left to guard the security room. Lucas quickly tossed the body away and got on the computer consoles. He started to scan the monitors.

"...Lord, have mercy..."

* * *

Dalora, Nalia and Julland were just on the outer ring of the core where the virus was being held. Dalora took the front while the others followed behind her. Everything was silent. All of sudden, it seemed like there were no more pirates left in the area.

"Seems like we killed them all in the hallway." Dalora muttered.

"Keep your guard up. They probably want us to think that." Nalia answered. Suddenly, their comm link went off.

"Guys, its me. We have a slight problem." Lucas announced.

"What's up?" Nalia asked.

"More like, what's about to go off."

"You have got to be kidding me. They're going to release the virus here?" Julland asked.

"Not quite." Lucas answered.

"Then what is it?" Nalia inquired.

"That strange energy source you saw. That's not the virus. That's an atomic bomb that's been armed and set to go off. There's no way to disarm it." Lucas announced. Nalia cursed.

"How much time do we have?" Julland asked.

"You have ten minutes to get back to the tram line and get the _Shiloh_ out of here. I've opened all doors and cleared the area for you to get there. You better hurry." Lucas stated.

"Lucas, what about you?" Dalora asked.

"You guys are closer to the tram. If you wait for me, I'll just slow you guys down. You might not make it."

"Lucas, don't be a hero and start moving. We'll wait for you!" Dalora yelled.

"Dalora, stand down. He's right." Nalia scolded.

"Don't worry about me. I got a plan. Look, after the blast, just scan for life signs. If you don't find any...well, just go. You got nine minutes and forty seven seconds." Lucas warned them before shutting off the comm.

"I can't believe he's doing this." Dalora said as they scrambled back to the tram line.

* * *

Lucas sprinted through the halls. The time was ticking but this was the only chance he had to get out alive. He found it odd that he was still fighting for life. These could be his last several minutes on this side of eternity and yet he still wasn't about to give up. What did he have to live for anyway? Nevermind, it wasn't the time to get philosophical. He had to get to the sky garage.

By the time he got there it was five minutes to detonation. The lieutenant was not at all pleased with what he saw. None of the vehicles were left. No, he did not come all this way just to die in a garage. _"But what am I fighting to live for? I don't have any plans. There's still my brother to carry on the family line. I do not fear death. Am I just trying to live for the thrill of the escape? But there is no escape...No, I'm not giving up yet." _Lucas searched. He found what he was looking for. A Mako land rover.

Without a moment to lose he climbed into the cockpit and gunned the engines. This was probably going to be the most unorthodox use of the Mako but it was worth the shot. Trying to get all the speed he needed, Lucas drove the rover as fast as he could towards the open garage door that led to a free fall outside the building. The Mako shot out into the open air. It was a strange descent. Usually he was dropped from a frigate and now he had to get as far away as possible. Lucas initiated the manual override for the auto pilot calculating the right time to hit the vertical thrusters. If the computer did it, he'd come to a complete stop at the bottom. He needed to get the Mako to slow down at the right time and immediately get the wheels running. Lucas started to mutter to himself.

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, they will be done..."

* * *

Nalia and the remainder of her team dashed off the tram line. They only had three minutes left. Nalia had radioed Talana the situation and they found a waiting _Shiloh_ already humming, the engines warmed up to leave in a split second. The three scrambled into the vessel.

"Go, go! Get us out of here!" Nalia shouted before the automated door even closed. Talana jerked the controls.

* * *

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and glory forever. Amen."

There was only a minute left. Lucas dared not see how far away he got from the tower. A few more seconds and it would all be over. A single minute never seemed to stretch for eternity, and somehow, it was not long enough.

* * *

The _Shiloh_ rattled hard as Talana shot the frigate into overdrive in the atmospheric conditions. They all looked anxiously at Dolphos who was monitoring their flight path. Several tense seconds passed.

"This one sees that we are sufficiently away from the blast radius. There is no chance of immediate damage occurring to us." Dolphos announced.

"Good. Talana, keep us at this radius and pull us upwind. We don't want to get caught in the toxic cloud." Nalia ordered. No one said anything about Lucas.

* * *

Lucas gripped tightly to the controls and then started to think again. He did not notice the scenery fly past him. He did not even hear. He was lost in his mind. He eased his grip. _"I'm about to die...the great journey that happens to all men where all are made equal and do not escape. Is this the way to go? No...it is as the Asari say...I embrace eternity." _

The world outside became hell.

Lucas awoke to a fiery world. He heard the wind howling. He wondered what the ghastly shuddering was. He looked around him. The sound was not good. The hull of the Mako had been breeched. No point in staying here now. As if in a dream, Lucas shakily stood to his feet and climbed out of the hole where the turret once was. He realized the shuddering was his own heart pounding.

"_I am the way into the city of woe. I am the way to a forsaken people..." _

Lucas fought for breath. The wind was burning. The world was in shades of black, orange and red. The sky was gone. Behind him. Lucas staggered to look behind him. There. The sinister plumed funnel cloud. The mushroom of atomic fire. The winds of the apocalypse lashed all around him.

"_Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." _

He could taste metal in his mouth. He trembled terribly. Where to go? What to do? Was he alive, or was he a shade? Was he condemned to walk the land, a condemned dead? What was that taste? Was it the radiation or was it blood? Gosh, he was so confused and yet his mind was so clear. Was this...Nirvana?

"_I believe in God the Father Almighty..." _

Nothing. The torment had suddenly gripped him. Everything was devoid of life. He had chosen this path to be forsaken. He had chosen to die. Why couldn't it just end now? Was he somehow mistaken? Was he somehow already dead? Lucas numbly walked away from the Mako, away from the blast. He couldn't realize he was taking weak baby steps.

"_And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit..." _

Lucas stumbled. Why was it so hard to walk? His flesh was on fire. The pain was immense and yet, somehow, he felt nothing. Was this purgatory?

"_I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the body..." _

Lucas found himself on his knees. How many times did he find himself this way? There was a devotional that went like this right? On his knees? Perhaps if he kept going on his knees. Gosh, it was hard to walk. It was harder to breathe. His heart was fluttering.

"_And the life everlasting. Amen..." _

Without willing it, Lucas sprawled out onto the ground, arms stretch out to his side. The fire was going away. He didn't feel anything burning anymore. It felt strangely cold. He realized it was deathly quiet too. He wished there was someone else there. He wondered why he couldn't remember the last rites. He somehow understood his mind was fried. Why couldn't he remember those words? Is this how it is to die?

"_Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends..."_

Somehow in the crimson, fiery landscape that was slowly growing dark, he found tranquility. He wondered if it was peace from what he had remembered or if it was of how quiet it became. He decided it was both. He slowly realized the reason it was so quiet was because he no longer heard that ominous thumping in his chest. Everything in this lonely, forsaken world became silent.


	21. Chapter 20

Julland and Dolphos scoured over the torrent of information that appeared on the computer monitors. Nalia had kicked them all into overdrive as Talana worked around the clock to get them back to the Citadel. Even then, because they were on the other side of the galaxy, it was going to take a day and a half to get there. Merjj and his engineers were working their magic on the drive core but everything has it limits. In the end, the best they could do was gather information so that they would be better prepared.

"This one does not understand why you did not take the most abominable Volus with you." Dolphos told Julland who was next to him.

"Terminus space. The Council would have no jurisdiction over him there. Of course, we will once that virus goes off. By then it'll be too late, though. We'll be looking at something worse than an economic depression." Julland explained.

"We'll be looking at a lack of economics. Our entire economy is based on the electronic credits. Once the virus goes in and start annihilating them, we'll have nothing to do business with." Nalia added.

"There was something to be said about paper currency." Julland murmured.

"I would never carry all that around. You know how much I'd have to carry just to go on a shopping spree?" Nalia demanded.

"I don't want to know. Either way, my contacts in C-Sec say that they've turned up nothing so far. Security is up, but we just don't know what we're looking for. Besides, it's a nano-tech virus. It could be disguised as anything." the Turian pointed out.

"Well, Vink did say that if it comes in contact with organics, it can trigger a violent sickness. Make sure the Citadel knows that if they get any particularly unusual outbreaks, they are to use the utmost caution." Nalia warned.

"On one hand we lose our economy. On the other hand a deadly disease will wipe out the center of our governments. For all we know, both might happen." Julland grumbled.

Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh scanned through the medical records she had brought up. Nano-tech, the ability to produce microscopic robots and program them to handle certain tasks, was nothing new. Even humans had them figured out before they found mass effect technology. However, there were limitations to it. So far, she found no records of anyone being able to use them as a biological weapons. There were a few references of experiments done by several military organizations, but all of them were abandoned after disappointing results. Somehow this was a big relief to the medical world. That was why the Quarian was extremely skeptical about a nano-virus that could handle both electronic and organic pathology. By all accounts, it was not done before. In theory it was possible, but in practice it was never produced. The most sophisticated use for nano-robots was technology she had seen personally, and that was for medical healing purposes. Sighing, the Quarian rested her head in her hands and decided to take a break. She stepped to her door.

No sooner had the doors opened did she find Dalora who looked like she just got out of the showers. Of all the people on the ship, the mercenary was the only one who did not have an assignment at the moment. Jima greeted her.

"Dalora, how are you?"

"Fine, I guess." Dalora shrugged. Jima quieted a bit.

"You're still thinking about Lucas, aren't you?" the Quarian asked sympathetically.

"We were friends. Maybe nothing special, but he still cared a lot for us. He made a big sacrifice back of Feros." Dalora admitted. Jima put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not going to make any promises, Dalora. However, I hope just as much as you do that this will be better. Follow me." the doctor led her back into the medical bay and took her towards the back of the ward.

"I don't really know if I want to see this..." Dalora whimpered.

"I think you should. It might help you just a little bit." Jima reassured.

On one of the tables was a large, half cylinder that covered the length of the table. A small hum radiated from the strange device. Jima touched a panel at the head of the container and the top foot or so rolled to the side to reveal a transparent tank filled with yellowish, gray fluid. Under the soup, Dalora could see Lucas' face. She could tell his skin had discolored to an ashy gray. She looked away, not able to see it.

"If I did not know what he went through, I would have said he looks fine." Dalora murmured. The doctor negotiated with a few machine panels to bring up several graphs and monitors. She started to explain the situation.

"His heart had stopped for only about a minute when we got to him. I did a neural shock on him to see if he would at least revive. Surprisingly he did, but the radiation damage was extensive."

Under all the fluid, against all odds, the Alliance special forces ranger was still hanging onto life in a semi-coma. A breathing apparatus was affixed to his mouth and nose so he could breathe. Other than that, he might as well have been in a soupy coffin.

"What is that fluid you have him in?" Dalora asked.

"It's a special combination of medi-gel, enzymes and nanites. The medi-gel helps with the healing. The nanites, microscopic robots, are currently working with the enzymes to repair his body and hopefully heal any radiation damage. There's so much that needs to be fixed. Devastated cells, damaged DNA strands, the list goes on. This soup is an experimental therapy. It's suppose to provide a rapid healing process to victims of nuclear fallout and explosions. Within a day or so they're suppose to be up and running none the wiser. It has its dangers though. There's a thirty percent chance he'll just suddenly die. That has occasionally happened on this therapy for unknown reasons. There's a slightly higher chance that it may just do nothing." Jima cautioned.

"Then why are you using it?"

"I don't like it, but I have no choice. This is his only chance of having a normal life again, perhaps his only chance to even live again. Even then, there may be a host of complications afterwards. He may still get cancer, or undergo a personality change, or suffer chronic weakness, never regain his strength, stunted immune system, the list goes on. I'd have to run a follow up test after he wakes up...If he wakes up." The two regarded the mostly comatose body for a moment. Dalora always seemed to look away from the table.

"I know this must be hard for you." Jima said softly.

"He was just a friend." Dalora answered quickly. She could have sworn she saw the blurry figure of an eyebrow go up behind Jima's visor.

"Dalora, humans are not the only ones who can pick up hints of affection and love. I've seen the ways you've looked at him. Even Quarians know it is not good to keep lying to yourself." Jima responded.

"Well...he kind of put everything on hold, if you know what I mean." Dalora admitted.

"Vaguely, but perhaps with good intentions."

"...I never could get used to his eyes, though. They didn't seem...alive."

"That's because they weren't." Jima stated flatly. Dalora looked at her.

"What do you mean?" the mercenary asked.

"If you're talking about the lifeless, almost mechanical look to his iris, that's because those weren't his real eyes. He never told you?" Jima asked. Dalora shook her head. Jima continued to explain.

"His eyes are a synthetic/organic hybrid. Part of it was made of his own cells, cloned from his own DNA and regenerated via stem cells. However, most of the eye structure was made from a bionic compound. Basically, he could control his own eyesight and zoom in on objects. It's not a very common procedure, but it's used as a special implant on elite soldiers of various military groups."

"I never knew that..." Dalora admitted.

"I checked his medical records. It seems like he lost his original eyes at the battle of Torfan. I'm going to guess that after completing his mission, an accident must have happened on the battlefield, an explosion or something, which completely damaged his eyes. Since the Alliance was going to make him a special forces ranger, they probably had him undergo the implant." Jima shrugged.

"Makes sense...when do you think he'll wake up?"

"Later tonight...that's the optimal time. If everything goes well, and I mean extremely well, he'll be up and running by tomorrow." Jima answered. Dalora shook her head.

"...Just in time for when we land on the Citadel..." Dalora murmured before heading back towards the doors. She hesitated before she left.

"Thanks doctor...you've been good to all of us throughout the voyage. We owe you more than we can ever repay." Dalora thanked. Jima gave her a quick bow.

"It is my duty as a doctor. The fact that you are all healed and alive is reward enough for me." Jima answered.

"Doctor, where did you learn to act so well under extreme medical conditions?" Dalora asked.

"The Flotilla, of course. I was trained as a doctor there. Because of the sterile environments and mass vaccinations, Quarian doctors rarely have to deal with a medical situation. However, when they do occur, they are extremely serious. We are ready for anything and are ready to improvise as best we can on the Migrant Fleet." Jima explained.

"Hmm...thanks again, Doctor." Dalora said before leaving. The Quarian walked over and placed a paw on the sniper's container.

"Now you can't die on me, Lieutenant."

* * *

Nalia, Dalora and Julland waited on the deck. Within the next few minutes, they would be landing on the Citadel. Julland was looking especially severe. C-Sec still had not turned anything up. There were no signs of any kind of electronic or medical troubles. Was this another trick? Did that Volus pull two fast ones on them, first Feros and now this? If that was the case, then where was the virus really going? That was when the majestic view of the Citadel pulled into sight. It was awe inspiring to say the least. Soon after, they heard footsteps behind them. To their astonishment, it was Lucas.

"Lieutenant Lucas Von Seraph, reporting back on duty." Lucas saluted. Ironically, Jima was keeping a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Lucas...we expected you to wake several hours ago...we thought the worse." Nalia stated.

"Yes, one of the few times I've been late." Lucas joked.

"I don't think you'll be joining us this time, Lieutenant. You still look a bit out of it." Nalia warned. Lucas did seem a little unsteady and there was still a sickly gray tint to his skin.

"On the contrary, Captain, I am ready for service. I just need a hot meal, maybe a small shot of stims, but I'm ready." Lucas replied. Nalia looked skeptically at Jima.

"I would rather that he get rest, but he insists. He is doing pretty well for someone who just got out of therapy, I will admit that." Jima said. As if to prove it, Lucas was pounding out push ups on the floor at a rapid pace.

"All right Lieutenant, I get the point. But if you slip up once, you're to go back here, no 'ifs,' 'ands' or 'buts.'" Nalia asserted.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am." Lucas answered. Suddenly, Lucas coughed and rushed over to a receptacle where he spat out a rather vile looking gray sputum.

"That may just be your slip up right there, Lieutenant." Nalia told him. Jima interrupted.

"Actually, that's normal. It's his body getting rid of the spent nanites. He'll be like that for awhile, but it shouldn't interfere with his performance...what am I doing? I'm arguing to put a recently woke patient back on the battlefield..." Jima muttered.

"Fine...but like I said, one slip up..." Nalia warned.

"Understood."

"All right. All of you, suit up, we're heading onto the Citadel. That includes you, Jima. I want you close by." Nalia told them. They all left to get their equipment. Jima tapped Lucas' shoulder when they were out of sight.

"You owe me, Lieutenant. I still rather you be resting in bed."

"Understood, doc. However, considering that I now have a slightly elevated chance of getting cancer and developing arthritis as well as now being sterile, its time to get back to a semi-normal life."


	22. Chapter 21

"_My daughter, I am concerned for you. You can be most intrusive and sometimes I wonder just how great your respect is for those around you. Have you no worry for these things?" Her daughter did not answer her. _

_"I see the look in your eyes. You want to get away. You have six more months here at home and I wish you to have all the wisdom you can before you go. You will need it in the worlds out there." _

_"Mother, can the wisdom we learn here, the truths that are true here, be the same elsewhere?" _

_"There are some universals, my daughter." _

_"Mother, you became what you were by choosing one path. You never saw the other." _

_"I know from watching others."_

_"But you never experienced it yourself."_

_"My daughter, are you telling me you wish to go down that path?" Silence._

_"Mother, I don't know. All I know is...I want to know what is out there, like you did. I just want to do it a different way." Her mother sighed. _

_"My you search every star your eye sees." _

_She wondered if that was a blessing or a curse._

* * *

It wasn't a sight you saw every day at C-Sec. As soon as the elevator opened up, an Asari with black Guardian armor, a Turian and human with Predator H and M armor, another human with Ursa armor, and a Quarian with the pink and white Phoenix armor filed out. Not a few of the C-Sec guards glanced at the peculiar sight, but quickly got back to work anyway. Nalia led them down towards the requisitions officer. Apparently, Nalia needed to buy something.

In the office, the requisitions officer pulled out the drawer containing all of the Spectre gear weapons. Lucas and Julland were immediately drooling over the Spectre sniper rifle. It was even worse for Julland who also wanted an a Spectre assault rifle. Instead, Nalia walked over, purchased a shotgun, and handed it to Jima.

"I want you to carry this from here on in, doctor." Nalia instructed.

"Yes, Captain." Jima answered. Lucas grimaced in disgust of losing out on one of the finest sniper rifles made, but walked away. Julland on the other hand had to be pried away from the assault rifle.

"Why don't you ever buy me one?" the Turian complained to Nalia.

"Because they're expensive, and you're not part of my full time crew." the Asari snapped.

"What if I paid you?"

"Like you have the money."

"Shut up." Julland grumped.

Julland realized the Presidium had not changed a bit in the several days of his absence. Even some of his fellow guards glanced at him in surprise when they saw the posse he was in. The Citadel remained as busy and crowded as ever. Normally the Turian did not think this way, but now he realized with all the more people present, the more "nutrients" and possible vectors would be available to the virus once it was unleashed and became active on organics. The Citadel would become a giant petri dish with no known cure or inhibitor for the virus. Nalia led them towards the central bank of the Citadel, the center for all economics in Council space.

"Okay doctor, speak to me, but quietly so no one freaks out. Say the virus is exposed into the population. Tell me what will happen." Nalia whispered.

"I can't be too sure since I do not know the full extent of the virus. It's definitely transmitted via touch, let's assume through the usual spots of the eyes, mouth and other open fluid areas. The virus will then run its course, according to the reports, within minutes, resulting in death. There will be immediate reactions, but by then, it'll be too late. If we're looking at the worse case scenario, transmission via the air, an entire ward will have to be shut down and immediately quarantined. Deaths will appear random in the area, but the sad fact of the matter is that within hours or days, that whole ward will be liquidated of life. Air transmission is the worse and hardest to control. Consider all the ventilation pathways and filter mechanisms. There must be millions of them all over the Citadel." Jima explained.

"What happens if it's exposed in a nexus area like the bank or Presidium?" Nalia asked.

"It better only be the electronics. If it goes active in organics, the whole Citadel will be vulnerable." Jima warned.

"Well, hopefully tracking this guy down and stopping him before he gets into the bank will be easy. From what I heard, the Central Bank is always crowded, though." Nalia muttered just as they walked through the automatic doors into the main floor of the bank. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight they saw.

In front of them were mass crowds of employees, customers, stock brokers and all manner of financiers weaving and flowing through the large lobby. This whole scene was played out on several floors that went high up the tower that made up the Central bank. Each individual could be carrying the virus and each more increased the possibility of spreading it. It was a bio-hazard containment nightmare of astronomical proportions. The four stared in horrified awe at how large the stakes were. There must have been several million people in the place and countless rows of computers and terminals to boot.

"Keelah..." Jima said in awe.

"We're screwed." Lucas stated.

* * *

A Batarian bumped his ways through the thick crowds. On his omni-tool, he carried a whole vial's worth of the deadly nanophage spores that were dormant along the circuit paths of the device. All what he needed to do was get to the nearest terminal, make a bank account and then download the information. From there, the viruses would transfer their coding into the system. Within micro seconds they would start destroying each and every credit unit, multiplying their malicious coding with each credit unit they encountered. They would exploit the electronic highway through communication, hardwire and wireless systems, unraveling the economic fabric of Council space. The Volus would get what he wanted and Terminus space, and therefore the Batarians, would get an upper hand. Everyone was happy.

The Batarian was bumped for the upteenth time trying to get to that terminal. He was just ten feet away now. What he didn't realize was that that last bump dislodged some of the virus spores being held in the omni-tool. He activated the device in anticipation for the procedure. Upon doing so, some of the spores found themselves lodged next to his skin. To make matters worse, all the bumping and jarring had made a small scratch along his arm, opening a microscopic cut. The spore found its way into the unseen wound and tumbled into his bloodstream. It was just a single spore, a single virus but now its coding changed as it was forced to activate along a different path of its programming. The first symptom was a seemingly benign cough.

* * *

Nalia, Dalora, Julland, Lucas and Jima suddenly glanced in the direction they started hearing screams from. As if by magic, a part of the crowd started to disintegrate, all of the people parting away from a single figure that was hopelessly trying to crawl towards a computer terminal, reaching desperately with its hand.

"Oh God...it has started..." Lucas hissed. Jima took action.

"All of you, get out here. Go behind the doors and get as far away from here as possible. Order a lock down on this area." Jima told them.

"What about you?" Dalora asked.

"Under this Phoenix armor is a environmental suit made to withstand a level four bio-hazard outbreak. I could not be more protected. I'm going to get a sample and see what I can do. Now move!" Jima shooed them away with her paw before rushing to get to the center of the scene.

"You heard the doctor." Nalia told them, leading them at a brisk pace outside the door.

"This is the main entrance." Dalora observed once they were safely on the other side. Nalia followed her train of thought.

"Julland, you and Lucas keep anyone from going in or out. Dalora, you come with me." Nalia ordered. Julland nodded and immediately took out his badge. He waved it at the approaching group of people.

"C-Sec. This place is currently under lock down. You may not pass." Julland announced to them while Nalia led Dalora away from the scene.

"Dr. Jima, this is Lucas, can you please tell us what's going on in there?" Lucas asked while helping Julland guard the door. There was a moment of silence before the Quarian doctor answered.

"It's not good here, Lucas. The Batarian is rapidly dying before my eyes and there's no point administering pain killers or medigel."

"Why not?"

"He's dissolving rapidly from the inside out. You can practically watch its progress. The virus is attacking his organs and connective tissue. I suspect its even attacking his brain. If I put any fluids in him it'll just flow right out with the blood and sludge that's coming out of him." Jima explained.

"Did you get confirmation on if it's airborne?" Lucas asked.

"As of right now, no. I haven't been able to run tests, I'm just getting samples and- wait. Oh no..."

"What? What is it?" Lucas demanded.

"It's airborne...there's people collapsing everywhere now."

Nalia had rushed Dalora into C-Sec again where they got into the security controls for the Central bank.

"Help me flip the switches here. We need to shut off all doors and elevators leading into the bank." Nalia ordered. Dalora immediately got down to business.

"Anything else?" Dalora asked.

"Alert medical crews to start carrying those heavy bio-hazard suits or whatever they're called." Nalia added. Dalora found the proper button to alert that.

"Re-routing oxygen controls, filters and ventilation systems...and...there!" Nalia stated in triumph.

"Hm?"

"The Central bank is now completely sealed off and quarantined. At the very worse, everyone in there will get liquidated, but hopefully the Citadel will be preserved and kept clean of the virus." Nalia explained.

"I wouldn't be so sure yet." Dalora murmured.

"Yeah well, we might as well remain optimistic here." Nalia argued. That's when a squad of C-Sec guards walked in.

"Good work, Spectre Nalia D'sara. Unfortunately, you're under arrest."

"For what?" Nalia cried.

"For crimes against the Council."


	23. Chapter 22

_"Nalia D'sara, you stand before us on the accusations of a Volus. According to Mr. Horlorn, you made blatant intrusions into Terminus Space. Not only did you disobey orders by going into the Terminus, something you were clearly warned against, you had open gun battles and tried to apprehend others into custody where you had no jurisdiction of doing." _

_"I was ordered to destroy a pirate fleet. I found more than just that. Because of the piece of slime accusing me, there are people dying right now on the Citadel!" _

_"We will address that at the proper hearing. What we must address now is that you have openly admitted to disobeying an order, and that was not to make actions in the Terminus. Your actions could have sparked an all out war." _

_"If I had not done so, there would still be a pirate fleet out there and there would be absolutely no preparations for what is happening right now!" _

_"This does not cover up your fault. There are even accusations that you were involved with a fuel facility that exploded, causing an environmental catastrophe that is still effecting the inhabitants of the moon it occurred on." _

_"I did what I had to do." _

_"And you will suffer the consequences. You are hereby stripped of the status and privileges of Spectre until further notice. This meeting of the Council is adjourned."_

* * *

Lucas and Julland suddenly found themselves staring at a deserted hallway. Somehow, the news had gotten out on what was happening just behind the large hatchway doors in the Central bank. Vink Horlorn's plan to destroy the Council economy had failed miserably. Instead, it was now destroying the population inside the bank and now there was no certainty on if it could be contained. People understood the fact that if the Citadel is announcing an "unknown virus" over the systems, then it is best to clear the nearby areas as fast as possible. The two soldiers guarding the door had a feeling they could scarcely grasp just how alien a virus they were looking at. Lucas suddenly activated his comm.

"Dr. Jima, you've been awfully quiet, what's going on in there?" Lucas asked. A few seconds passed, the link was silent.

"Dr. Jima, please respond." Lucas spoke again. This time, Julland and Lucas glanced at each other in alarm.

"You think we should go in?" Julland whispered.

"And do what? If, God forbid, she's dead there's nothing we can do for her. Even if she isn't and we open these doors, it'll expose the rest of the Citadel." Lucas argued.

"You're right, but...grrr, I hate not being able to do anything." the Turian growled.

"I know it may not seem like much, but we're probably doing the most important thing in our military careers. We're holding a door that's keeping one of the most vicious enemies we've ever faced in there." Lucas reassured weakly.

"What happened to Jima?" Julland whispered. Suddenly their comm links went off.

"Julland, Lucas, this is Dalora. You're not going to believe what just happened." Dalora announced.

"Report." Julland ordered.

"Nalia just got arrested and was subsequently stripped of Spectre status. The Council was pissed off that she had trespassed into Terminus space. Apparently, they'd do anything to avoid a war with them." Dalora growled.

"This just goes from bad to worse." Julland mumbled.

"Guys, we're going to have to worry about that later. Right now we need something to be done about the virus in there." Lucas reminded them.

"Has Jima told you guys anything?" Dalora asked.

"No. That's the problem. Jima hasn't been responding to her link." Lucas explained.

"Oh no...don't tell me something happened to her."

"We don't know. We can't go into the bank and we just checked a few seconds before you came in." Julland answered.

"Well we have to do something." Dalora said.

"What's with you two and always needing to do something? Haven't you two ever tried waiting?" Lucas muttered.

"No." Julland and Dalora answered in unison. Before anyone could say anything, another tone linked up to their communication network. It was Jima. By the sounds of it, the Quarian had been sobbing.

"S-sorry...I-it's...too m-much in...h-here..." Jima sputtered.

"Jima, stay calm. What happened?" Lucas asked, taking control

"T-they're...they're all dead." Jima managed. There was a pause as the others tried to digest that.

"What do you mean they're all dead? There had to be at least a million people there. Surely at least one or two might have-"

"They're all dead, Julland! There's nothing left! T-they're piles of waste on the floor...I'm the only one left!" Jima screamed, becoming hysterical.

"Jima. Jima, calm down. We're still here so you're not alone. I need you to calm down. Is there a way you can tell us or show us what happened and what we can do from here?" Lucas soothed.

"H-hold on...I'll show you the recordings from my environmental suit." Jima offered weakly. The three waited until their omni-tools notified them of a received patch. Each activated the recording which was taken from a small camera in Jima's visor.

The video showed Jima hurrying to get a small sample from the dead Batrian's corpse. If it weren't for the clothes, the Batarian wouldn't have been identifiable as a once living being. It had been reduced to bones grotesquely swathed in gore that had been liquefied. It was lying in a disturbing black puddle that had been blood at one point. No one could be sure what it was now. Jima had finished taking the sample when a scream could be heard from off camera. Startled, Jima must have looked up. The camera showed a scattered group of random individuals coughing and retching before suddenly collapsing out on the ground. To the horror of those around them, they immediately started to liquidate and dissolve before their eyes. It did not matter who, Turian, Asari, Human, Salarian, even Hanar and Elcor were becoming victims. All were crashing and bleeding out on the floor. A Volus customer simply collapsed and became still. The virus had probably gone through its air system in the pressure suit it wore. The horrified masses who had edged towards the walls were now collapsing in on each other. The video feed cut out when Jima placed her paws over her visor to shut out the hell that she was seeing.

"Jima...I'm so sorry you had to be there and see that..." Dalora whispered. Lucas and Julland however were at lost for words.

"...I take it your air filtration system is sophisticated enough to keep you alive, seeing that the Volus did not make it." Julland observed.

"Correct. Right now I am on a self contained device. I will only activate the environmental filter once I am clear of this place." Jima answered, sounding a bit calmer.

"Have you learned anything?" Lucas asked.

"From from I've seen, this virus is clearly airborne. The fluid that you see, the waste their bodies are lying in, is the remains of their tissues mixed in a bath of the virus. A single body can probably produce trillions if not more of the viruses." Jima added.

"Are you saying this virus can multiply? I thought these were robots." Julland said.

"They are. They're nanophages, but they're programmed to get into the DNA of the cells, scavenged whatever resources they can and make the cell a virus production factory before ruthlessly destroying it. The bodies collapsing and bleeding out is just the virus carrying out the dual job of exterminating and reproducing." the Quarian explained.

"Who could have produced such a demon like this? This looks like something made for Armageddon." Lucas commented.

"No clue...but whoever did it, they ought to be bathed in their own creation." Julland growled.

"I'm calling this the Apollyon S1 strain. I'll continue doing tests here until a proper biohazards team makes it safe for me to leave." Jima announced.

"Right, you can't leave until you know you won't expose the surrounding environment." Julland stated.

"Exactly. I'll keep you guys posted."

"Why 'S1?'" Lucas asked curiously.

"For 'Strain one.' Just in case we find more."

"Hey, this is all morbidly fascinating, but we need to do something about Nalia, remember?" Dalora reminded.

"Right." Julland and Lucas answered in agreement.

"Any ideas then?" Dalora asked.

"...No, but we'll think of something." Lucas admitted. He heard Dalora sigh on the other end.

"You boys figure that out. I have an idea on trying to figure out on tracking down the people who planted this virus." Dalora told them.

"Sounds good." Julland responded. That when they saw a group of Turians, Salarians and a human, approaching them. They all wore strange industrial blue suits. A Turian came up to them.

"Citadel Extreme Medical Situations Response. We'll be setting up a special pressure barrier here. Thanks for your help, you're free to go." no sooner had the Turian finished, a squad of heavily armed soldiers lined up where they stood, all wearing the same biohazard suits as the response team. Lucas and Julland immediately left.

Meanwhile, inside the bank, Jima quietly scolded herself for losing her cool and immediately started sorting out the samples she took. She was determined to focus only on her samples, trying to avoid taking notice at the biological cesspool she was surrounded by. She had just finished sorting them all out when she heard a small whimper. Alarmed, the Quarian looked up. Had something survived the ravages of the virus? The doctor heard another sound, another whimper, this time it had been stronger too. Jima rose to her feet and started to look around. Who was making that sound?

"Arrrgggghhh!" something screamed behind her. Jima spun around. There, isolated from the mass of corpses, was a solitary Salarian figure. Somehow it had still survived. Jima rushed up to him.

"Sir, I'm a doctor...can you understand me?" Jima asked, kneeling next to the agonized mess. The Salarian had lost most of its body mass and nearly all of its skin was sagging, the connective tissue having been dissolved under it. It was also completely blind too, considering its eyes had melted away.

"Arrrrggghhhh...aaarrrggggghhh!" the Salarian managed. Jima knew she wasn't going to get anything this way. She activated her omni-tool and did some quick scanning.

"Most of your organs have suffered massive damage...your brain has been ravaged...how are you still alive?" Jima whispered sadly. She suddenly heard the doors open behind her as the members of the medical crew rushed in. A Turian, and Asari immediately joined up with her.

"You have a survivor in all of this?" the Turian asked through the radio in his biohazard suit.

"There's no reason he should be alive, but now we have to try and help him." Jima stated.

"Can you tell me your name?" the Asari asked. All she got was mindless rambles.

"A good question is why he's still alive. A better question is how we're going to move him." the Asari observed. They regarded the fragile, broken hull of the diseased creature.

"We're going to need a bag..." the Turian murmured.

"He might end up staying in there..." the Asari added


	24. Chapter 23

Lucas and Julland marched towards the Citadel tower where they knew the hearing between Nalia and the Council would have been. They had not been able to communicate with Nalia, so they decided to start they they last knew she would be. Perhaps there was a still a way to get to her before she was marched off to the C-Sec brig.

"So what's the plan when we get to her?" Lucas asked.

"I hope you're not asking on how to bust her out." Julland warned.

"No. I know better than to ask a cop about that. I'm asking if we ask her questions on where to go from here. What her orders are." Lucas stated.

"Very good, Lieutenant. I like that idea. Lieutenant, I know I might have encouraged you to disobey Nalia's order back on Noveria. I won't encourage breaking any laws." Julland stated.

"I completely understand...but how about in pressing circumstances?" the lieutenant asked quietly.

"Lucas...as on officer...we did not have this conversation." Julland warned.

"Yes, Commander."

The two exited the elevator that led up to the Council floor. About halfway up there, they found their Asari leader. Nalia was already handcuffed and was being led towards them by two C-Sec guards, one an Asari the other a Turian. The apprehended Nalia flashed them a smile as they approached her. However, her eyes had a frown to them. Lucas and Julland saluted her. Her guards at least had the courtesy to allow them to talk to her.

"Any last orders, Captain?" Julland asked.

"Yes. Don't give up yet. Find out where that virus originated and who provided it. When you find that out, take care of them both. Finally, don't wait up for me." Nalia told them.

"Understood ma'am." Julland answered. They watched her get led away. When she and the guards had finally disappeared in the elevator shaft, Julland felt Lucas poke him.

"What is it?" the Turian asked.

"I could have sworn...did she whisper 'race you to it' to us?" Lucas murmured.

"That's what worries me, Lieutenant. That's what worries me."

Before the Turian and human could do anything, they too were confronted. Several distinguished looking C-Sec officials marched up to Julland while an Alliance admiral got Lucas' attention.

"You wanted something of us?" Julland asked.

"It's no secret that you two were part of her crew. The _Shiloh_ is grounded until we complete our investigation. In the meantime, you are to be led away for questioning." the Turian C-Sec commander told Julland.

"The same holds true for you, soldier. There was a reason Command was uneasy about this." the admiral told Lucas.

* * *

The Salarian, defying all expectations, was still barely alive on the metal floor. He continued groaning and whimpering in unspeakable agony. He could barely move however, as if simply trying to struggle was a burdensome task in itself. Another possibility that so much connective tissue had been damaged he was simply paralyzed. Jima knelt next to him trying to keep him calm. More of the eerily suited medical response crew were in the bank, trying to gather samples and half heartedly looking for survivors. Others were trying to make sure any vector where the virus might go through was sealed off. Meanwhile, the Turian and Asari returned with the foreboding body bag. Perhaps for the first time they were going to intentionally put a live being in one of those and hope he would still be alive when they took him back out. The Turian set the bag as close as possible to the Salarian while trying to avoid the vile black sludge of the Salarian's own blood and sloughed off body. Never did a foot's distance seem like an unbridgeable gap.

"Well...here it is..." the Asari murmured quietly. Dr. Jima glanced at her name tag. Dr. Pelona Sivini. The Turian was a Harrvok Arvinin.

"Okay...Sivini and Arvinin, I want you two to come on either side of him. You will hold his head and shoulders. I'll take his abdomen and make sure he slips into the bag. You understand?" Jima asked. The two nodded. No one wanted to do this. Even the blind, nearly mindless Salarian seemed to get more agitated. They all paused longer than usual. Finally, the Turian sighed.

"All right...lets do this.

They all took their proper positions around the Salarian. Suddenly, the infested creature cried out, becoming more and more alarmed. Sivini tried to sooth him while they tried to steel themselves for what they were about to do.

"All right...ready? On my mark, we'll gently take hold of him. Do not lift him just yet, understood?" Jima inquired. They all nodded. The Salarian whimpered. The Quarian realized that all over the bank, scattered parties were also watching them. Against all odds, they had found other survivors but were looking to them on how to remove the fragile bodies. Jima took a deep breath.

"Okay...take hold of him." Jima stated calmly. They hesitated, but slowly brought their hands to the Salarian. Things went immediately wrong.

No sooner had Jima's gentle fingers grasped around the Salarian's leg, did the creature scream in pain. Each scream pierced into them and rattled their bones as if trying to wake the dead around them. The Turian and Asari overreacted, grasping firmly on the Salarian's shoulder while the Turian went to hold the back of his head. The devastated body gave way under their touch. Their suits broke into the sludgy skin, dark fluid creeping around their shaking hands and fingers. Each scream of the Salarian turned their blood to cold lead. This was the worse way to die.

"Okay, don't prolong his suffering. Let's pick him up." Jima ordered over the blood curdling screams. They nodded.

"Ready? Now!" Jima ordered. Now was the moment of truth.

With one accord, they brought the Salarian up. The waist came off in Jima's paws exposing the corrupted remnants of the bowels to the environment while the shoulders simply came off in the Turian and Asari's hand. They watched in absolute horror as the Salarian simply broke in pieces and fell as a scattered wreck back on the ground. Gravity forced the torso back to the ground and the hand the Turian had behind the Salarian's head did the rest. With deadly ease, the neck simply snapped and came off.

Stupefied into silence, the Turian shook off the head and stared, unable to tear his eyes from what they just did. The Asari, Sivini, screamed hysterically while backing away. Jima collapsed to her knees and shook her paws in defeat. Why? What kind of virus did this? Why did it keep him alive and yet made the tissue so weak that when they would attempt to move it to safety, it would simply break apart causing death? Helplessly, the Quarian looked around her as the search parties simply abandoned the survivors. They would have nothing to do with what they just saw and they certainly wouldn't try to recreate it. Two isolated gunshots rang out. Apparently, some acted on what they decided was a more humane treatment.

* * *

Dalora stalked quietly through some of the more forgotten pass ways and alleys of the Citadel ward she was on. The Citadel itself was so large that some of the more obscure areas could be forgotten. Being an ex-pirate turned mercenary, she was well acquainted with these forsaken spaces. Any other sane citizen would have been able to pick up the forbidden vibes of the place and turned around. C-Sec might try to patrol what it could, but it was not omnipresent. This one area was well known to all manner of criminals and pirates. It was probably their most popular haven on the otherwise civil space metropolis.

Dalora seemed fragile in her light white and gray Ursa armor. Sure, as far as most light armors went, this was one of the better made ones. However, under that thick space age technology armor was a weak and vulnerable human body. It was resilient and a biological marvel in its own right, but still weak. The woman with the long brown braid of hair and soft, blue eyes, glanced around the halls, keeping a firm grasp on her shotgun. She wondered if things had just gone a little differently if she would be in this same spot under different circumstances. Much like her armor, she knew that as much as she kept up a composed and firm exterior, she had a scarred and tender interior. All those years of pirating and plundering, she knew they were wrong. She was doing exactly the same thing that probably landed her in the hell she was in. It was a most fitting condemnation. It was a personal hell.

And then she decided to stand up against it all. She would become someone who hunted down the bastards that stole her childhood and early life. She thought that somehow the good forces paid more than the pirates that she wanted to destroy. She was wrong and instead found herself tossed from crew to crew, a mercenary hired by pirates to kill other pirates. Then she turned on them and nearly lost her life. An now in the space of a few short days she thought she found a life that was a change and a friend who might give her the stability she needed. Then she was rejected. What did the universe have against her? She didn't blame God. She blamed herself.

"You better have a good reason for being here, human." a Batarian sneered at her, holding up a pistol to her face. Yep, she had wandered into the right place.

"Yes...I need to see the boss." Dalora murmured, glaring right back at the four eyed Batarian. She tried not to look at him directly, just at his face. These sneaky cretins got you once you looked them directly in the eye. Then you wouldn't know which set of eyes to look at.

"Hmm...too bad the boss wasn't expecting you." the Batarian guard snickered evilly. His fellow guard also readied his weapon. Dalora suddenly light up with a blue aura. The two Batarians suddenly floated up helplessly into the air.

"You two haven't changed a bit in years...now, let me in." Dalora growled quietly.

"...Dalora...is it really you?"

"Nevermind, you have changed...you've gotten slower. Now let me in!"

* * *

Dr. Jima waited in the makeshift lab for her results. The Citadel Extreme Medical Situations Response had set up a special device in front of the Bank's main entrance. It kept the air pressure in such a way that the air pressure was greater outside the bank compared to the inside. Every time the door was opened, air wafted inside the bank, keeping virus particles in and not allowing them to go out. A long tunnel designed to sterilize exiting personnel made sure anything on the suits used by the team was eradicated. That was the theory, anyway. They had also set up various automated medical equipment outside the lab that allowed robotic arms to handle the samples and not actual people. All in all, it wasn't a shabby operation. Jima took her samples from the centrifuge.

"Metal...completely made out of metal from the virus. The rest of the bloody sludge is composed of ruptured cell particles. The Apollyon virus uses trace metals to replicate itself and then destroys whatever is left...brutal." Jima observed. She joined Dr. Sivini at a nearby electron microscope.

"Are you all right, Dr. Sivini...you look...pale." Jima cautiously told the Asari. Sivini shook her head.

"What happened in there...I've worked with plenty of exotic viruses, a lot of level four bio-hazard viruses. That includes military grade biological weapons. I've done this work for over a hundred years. I've never seen anything like what happened in the bank in all that time." Sivini answered quietly.

"I don't think anyone of us has. However, we got to find out what we can do about Apollyon. We need to know its weaknesses, strengths and most importantly, its cure." Jima reminded the Asari. Already, the name "Apollyon" had caught on as the official designation of the virus. Sivini showed Jima how the virus operated under the microscope.

The Apollyon virus was a simple nanophage shaped similarly to three octagons linked together in a single strand. As far as viruses go, it was smaller than most, scarcely having any length or mass to be observed under the powerful microscope. Sivini explained what she saw.

"When the virus docks onto a cell, it diffuses right through. I did some experiments on epithelial matter. Normal viruses usually can't pierce through the dry membrane like skin, scales, all of those. However, there must be something about Apollyon, because in most cases the virus tried to bore right in. There must be mechanized devices on it that allow it to do that. Sometimes the virus is not successful in penetrating the tough, dry membrane of an epidermis. Other times, it is. I haven't isolated a clear percentage of success yet." Sivini admitted.

"What happens once its inside the membrane?" Jima asked.

"It goes straight to the nucleus where it inserts itself into the DNA strand of the cell. Once there, it hijacks the controls of the cell, kicking it into overdrive, almost like an aggressive cancer cell. The virus forces the cell to produce more of the virus itself, flooding the body with more of the viruses, each searing for another cell to infest. That's how it's able to annihilate a body in minutes. Basically, its a sadistic trick of biology. The virus is basically trying to turn the infected organism into itself. I've tested a few organisms on it. I was able to figure out how Apollyon S1 usually progresses through the body." Sivini announced.

"Tell me."

"Its uncanny, but the virus attacks the lungs first. The buildup stimulates the body to cough, which aerosolize the viruses, passing them into the air. After a few minutes, and therefore a few coughs, the virus throws off all restraints and attacks the rest of the body. Cause of death is usually caused by hemorrhaging. It just depends where. You can die from drowning in your own lungs, bleeding to death in your own body, a stroke to the brain, a rupturing in the heart, it's all a matter of which part of the body gives out first." Sivini explained.

"So basically, when it attaches itself into your DNA strand, its acting as a kind of retrovirus." Jima observed.

"This virus is more machine than biology. It brings a whole new meaning to 'Retro.'"


	25. Chapter 24

Dalora stared hard at the four eyed Batarian in front of her. There was an inexact science to glaring at a Batarian that a human would inevitably lose. They had four eyes and they took great pride in that any other creature with only two eyes could quickly become disoriented and would be unsure which set of eyes to look at. Dalora just had to put up with them all of her early life that she knew how to handle it longer than most.

"So, our wayward little human has suddenly returned to us..." the Batarian grinned ominously. He didn't have a name. He was simply known as the "Boss." To Dalora, he was Mr. Bulletproof.

"Don't read too much into it. I need to know something." Dalora snapped.

"Oh, but that is so bad for business. Surely, you will make this more worth my while." the Boss snickered.

"If there's anyone on this station, it would be you who had something to do with the virus that was sent out on the Bank. Where did you get it?" Dalora demanded.

"Hmm. All right, we got it from a couple of business friends from Jartar in the Hades Gamma cluster. Is that all?" Dalora thought furiously. She decided she was owed one last thing.

"Yes, perhaps you can tell me. Where did you get me? The earliest memory I have is of you beating me over the head and training me to be a biotic." Dalora growled.

"Aww. I'm flattered. The answer is simple really. You came from a military family. We hijacked the ship they were on when they were off duty. Your parents weren't so strong without their weapons. They were liquidated pretty quickly from the chemical rounds." the Boss stated simply. Strangely, Dalora found this heartbreaking.

"And why did you let me live? Why didn't you kill me with them so I didn't have to live through this hell?" Dalora asked, trying to fight back the tears.

"I recognized your biotics. You had potential. I saw you as an investment." the Boss shrugged. That was it. Dalora looked him in the eye.

"Wrong answer." Dalora glowed sapphire again and the Boss was hurled to the wall and slammed into it with a heavy thud. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself staring down the barrel of Dalora's shotgun.

"I should have done this a good number of years ago." Dalora growled. She pulled the trigger. No sooner had she done that, she found herself lifted into the air. She of all people recognized what was going on. She had gotten caught in a biotic lift. Looking down, the Boss was alive and well, surrounded by a biotic barrier. Her shotgun blast, even from point blank, had done nothing.

"Did I not tell you that I was bulletproof?"

* * *

Julland limped and staggered like a man in shell shock. His eyes were empty and lifeless. The Turian had nothing on his mind, save one thing. It did more than just not bode well with him. It seemed to shatter his existence. Already, he was starting to recover, but even then, he was still in a state of shock if not a tad bit of infuriation. The Turian produced a small bottle of drinking alcohol. It wasn't something he drank often, but when he did, he disengaged his mind and refused to think. Somehow, it didn't look like it was going to work this time. Regardless, the forlorn looking Turian wandered into the secluded alley just beyond the lower markets and Chora's Den. He staggered over and collapsed next to the wall. Julland took a swig of the drink before sulking again. That's when he heard footsteps.

"Somehow, I suspected you would be here." Lucas announced.

"Aye...I hate Chora's and Flux. I'd offer some of this to you, but considering our different protein makeup, it wouldn't do you any good." Julland apologized, flicking his drink. Lucas waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry about it. In stark contrast to my ancestry, I never could hold my liquor. I gave up on it years ago." Lucas admitted, taking a seat next to him. The two soldiers sat in silence, not even looking at each other, just staring ahead.

"So what happened to you?" Lucas asked.

"Darn near got another demotion." Julland growled.

"Don't tell me they demoted you again."

"They decided against it at the last minute. I got a two week suspension from C-Sec, instead. Afterwards, it'll be up to my superiors' discretion on whether to re-hire me or not."

"I'm sure they'll let you back on." Lucas assured.

"Right now I don't want to think about it." Julland answered.

"All right."

"What did Alliance Command do to you?" Julland returned the question.

"Officially, they're pissed off that I did not just return after completing my mission, which basically ended when we exploded that fuel facility."

"That's the brass for you." Julland shrugged.

"Yeah, it gets better." Lucas added.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...hypothetically speaking that is...none of this is true..." Lucas changed his tone. Julland raised an eyebrow before playing along.

"Of course...all imagination..."

"Command, hypothetically again, suggested that I track down the source of this virus...and contain it. Hypothetically." Lucas muttered.

"Haha...orders are orders. I guess you're going...Hypothetically." Julland replied. Lucas sighed.

"Yes. It may take a few days before I'm sent out on the next mission. In the meantime I'm getting the cold shoulder from the brass. The problem is that I know that this mission is going to take more than just an infiltrator with regular armor. I wish Jima would be around to give advice." Lucas admitted.

"Meanwhile Nalia is in the brig." Julland added.

"And Dalora has dropped off the radar. I pray she doesn't go back to bad habits."

"Bad habits?" Julland asked.

"Uh, nothing. Nevermind." Lucas stated quickly.

"Hmmm." Julland mumbled, taking another swig. They both continued to sit in silence. Suddenly, the Turian stood up.

"You know what, I don't know about you, but I have my orders." Julland announced, tossing the mostly full bottle of alcohol away.

"What's that?"

"The ones Nalia gave us."

"She's an ex-Spectre now." Lucas reminded.

"You have to ask yourself if that really matters considering the circumstances. I have to take care of something by myself for awhile. After that I'm going to head off to the _Shiloh_...you're...welcome to join later." Julland said slowly before walking off. Lucas considered his options. He decided he too had an errand and left in a hurry. A few minutes later, a Keeper strolled by and snatched up the discarded alcohol bottle, muttering a fury of complaining squeaks in the process.

* * *

Nalia sat in the C-Sec processing room. The security force was thorough in its business. Simply getting to a cell could take quite some time. Being a Spectre, Nalia was looking at several hours of processing and she had already sat through an hour of it. Her arms were bound together by an electronic handcuff behind her back. A disrupter was also affixed to the handcuffs which prevented her from using her biotic abilities. In essence, her wings were clipped. Otherwise, Nalia was handling the situation with a knowing smirk. In fact, her unusually smug demeanor was starting to grate on the two officers taking care of her processing. They pretended they weren't affected. Nalia pretended not to notice.

* * *

Lucas scrambled down the halls of the Citadel until he no longer recognized the area. He had spent many years studying as a theology student. He knew he had his doubts when he left, but there was a part of his faith that never left him. Torfan was a swift kick to the back of his head to brush back up on his eternal soul. He did believe an eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the whole creed, but he wasn't much of a one for visions. That was one of the reasons he couldn't quite believe what he was doing right now. This made absolutely no sense but it felt like the sanest thing in the world. He remembered a story in his family. One of his great, great grand sires was a crusader back in the times of old. He wasn't just any crusader, he was one of the Hospitallers. They were the black robed knights with white crosses, with the dual mandate to tend the hospitals and fight in the defense of the holy land. That was why Lucas immediately recognized the ethereal figure before him, leading him to some unknown destination. There was no reason to chase a vision. There was no reason to run after a shade. He should be going to Dr. Jima or the medical bay and getting his brain checked. Instead, this was the sanest thing to do. Where was this Hospitaller of old leading him? Who did he want him to protect?

The ghostly vision of the knight in black robes with a white cross continued to lead him down to places he did not know. The halls became darker and less crowded. Soon it was just him and the shade. It was just him and his imagination, the soldier and the crusader, Lucas and the unknown. Suddenly, the shade stopped and glanced back at him. Lucas slowed down and walked up to him. He stared into the translucent face and eyes of the vision. The Hospitaller looked back at him, reached to his side and confidently drew out his sword. Lucas stared at the ancient weapon, beauty and death melded together into a single instrument to be used for justice or brutality. The Hospitaller pointed the sword in front of him, towards a single doorway. Lucas eyed the sword and then looked back into the eyes of the Hospitaller. Like a vapor, the knight in black robes dissipated. Lucas had only one option left now; head for the door.

* * *

Dalora squared off the old monster from her past. Both were encased in a biotic barrier, not that it mattered since both of them ignored their firearms. It was the clash of two biotic masters, the student against the master. The constant blue aura of the biotic powers shined from both. The Batarian hurled a powerful biotic push at Dalora. The mercenary hurled two heavy crates at her adversary who managed to avoid both intimidating projectiles. Dalora knew she was at a disadvantage. She was one of the few, if only, natural biotic who did not have a single implant in her body to aide her. Therefore, she also had no biotic amp. Her old teacher had seen the potential in this. However, he had the implants and a very powerful amp to boot. Dalora had to time her powers carefully and was vulnerable in two second intervals where she could not muster a single power, waiting for at least one to recharge. Her teacher knew no such delay, his amp saw to that. It did not matter. The surreal duel continued uninterrupted.

* * *

Julland stood outside one of the commissioner offices of C-Sec. This particular office belong to the one responsible for the jurisdiction he was under. In some ways, this was probably the most powerful boss he could approach in person. It was quite intimidating for several reasons. However, the Turian was confident in his abilities and was also certain that he was not in any way effected by the alcohol he had consumed. Taking a deep breath, Julland walked inside.

"Commissioner." Julland saluted stiffly as he entered. The Turian sitting behind the desk also noticeably tensed up.

"Officer Sarrix?"

"Permission to speak freely?" Julland croaked, clearly nervous.

"Shut the door behind you." the commissioner told him. Julland awkwardly did so.

"Very well, go ahead."

"Commissioner, there are a few things I'd like to tell you." Julland announced.

"Before you continue, I want you to know this..." the commissioner started.

"Yes?"

"Julland...lets not pretend our history was forgotten after what happened at that one battle. Talk to me by name."

"...Yes...Elana..."


	26. Chapter 25

Jima walked away from the makeshift laboratory feeling extremely uneasy. There was really nothing left to test and nothing more to probe in the Bank. She would have to leave it to the response team to try and figure out a way to destroy the virus. It was going to be hard. Apollyon had a tendency to hide in an extremely durable spore casing when it was inactive and left on an inanimate surface. Too bad they couldn't just nuke the Bank. Feeling helpless but nonetheless determined, Jima made her way back to C-Sec where she would return to the _Shiloh_. There was nothing left to be done here.

* * *

Dalora knew she was in big trouble. All of her biotic powers were recharging so she was in a vulnerable state. Her Batarian adversary was chuckling with the anticipation of victory. Dalora desperately ducked and sidestepped the biotic rifts thrown at her. She narrowly missed getting sucked into a singularity field when she felt she needed to at least try and throw up another power again. She tried her barrier ability. Relief was an understatement she saw the billowing ripples cover her. At least she had some protection. That's when she just registered the large shadow over her. The Boss had lifted a heavy crate over her head. It started to fall.

Dalora hurled herself to the side and heard a heavy bang. She assumed she was still alive and tried to get up. Her leg was pinned down. Desperate, the mercenary looked at her leg. Her foot was caught under the crate. Between her armor and the biotic barrier, it was just enough to keep the foot from getting crushed, but the armor could buckle under the weight any minute, and her barrier was not going to sustain it forever. She tried lift. Nothing. Glancing up, she saw that the Batarian was walking towards her. She had to hurry. A biotic throw did nothing either. _"Come on, come on!" _Dalora yelled at herself. She needed something, anything. That's when she heard a boom followed by a thump. The Batarian was frantically rushing to his feet, having been thrown to the floor. Standing in the far doorway was Lucas, his Dante rifle shouldered. Slightly relieved, Dalora got back to trying to manipulate the crate off of her. Meanwhile, the enraged Batarian turned on Lucas and ignited another biotic power. Lucas found himself thrown against the wall, his rifle clattering harmlessly away from him. The ranger fell back to the ground with a heavy thud before slowly getting up.

"You humans don't know how to pick your fights." the Boss growled at him.

"You know, humans say you shouldn't hit a crazy person." Lucas retorted, getting into a fighting stance, his fists held out.

"Oh, and you're crazy?"

"I'm starting to believe I might be." Lucas snapped with a grin.

"Fine, I'll shoot the crazy human." the Batarian shrugged, pulling out his pistol and firing. Lucas meanwhile charged into the gunfire.

_"Yep, he's finally lost it." _Dalora thought as she finally got the crate off her foot.

* * *

It had been a long time since Julland had spoken with Elana. At one point he was able to count the months and days since they talked. Now he had lost count. The Turian commissioner stood from her desk and looked at him. She seemed upset, but was keeping her cool. Their previous relationship did not exist anymore, now she was only his boss.

"All right, go on." Elana told him. Julland walked up to the front of the desk.

"I will be going for awhile. I feel there is something important I have to do." Julland announced.

"What you do on your two week suspension is none of my concern. Why are you telling me this?" Elana asked.

"Because I've made up my mind that I will not be returning to the Turian military. I will not try to work myself back to that promotion again. I don't even much care for C-Sec anymore, either. I don't care if you or any one of my numerous superiors decide to take me back on or not when the two weeks are up." Julland stated firmly.

"Again...why are you telling me this?"

"Because there's a good possibility that I will not be returning. Ever." Julland said. Elana did not answer. Julland continued.

"That's why I want you to have this, regardless of if I return or not." Julland produced a small trinket and dropped it into Elana's open palm. It was Julland's old dog tag from when they were both in the military.

"Why are you doing this, Julland?" Elana inquired softly.

"I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days. Ever since I got demoted I felt like I was in the wrong place working for something that I knew I was already worth and trying to earn a title that wasn't worth space dust. Over the past few days I was called by my old rank by an human Alliance soldier. I was respected on a crew for my abilities, not my rank. I'm through with this formality, rank crap that will not recognize my talents or me as a Turian. That also means I will never be able to renew our relationship." Julland stated.

"Julland, I am grateful for what you did but I can't disobey my father and the government." Elana responded.

"I'm not asking you to. There is nothing wrong with thinking for the greater whole like we Turians do. However, there is something wrong about dying on a fool's errand. Look, I'm only asking you one thing, I just ask that you remember me. If I die in the next few days, my funeral is going to be devoid of Turians, only a select few new friends that I know. I'm okay with that, but I want at least one of my old friends, you, to be there and to hear what they have to say." Julland explained. Elana broke eye contact and stared at her desk, her paws lifelessly clutching the dog tag. Julland took her face with his hand and forced her to look at him.

"Please...remember me." Julland pleaded. Cautiously, Elana placed her own paw on his face.

"I will." she whispered. They stayed that way for a moment before Julland simply left. He closed the door and refused to look back.

* * *

Lucas was closing in on the Batarian who was confidently taking aimed shots at Lucas. The infiltrator's shields were holding but they would not take up the punishment forever. Lucas was sprinting ever closer, his hands devoid of weapons, simply fists. He was just now a few feet away from the Batarian. They both knew it was going to come to blows now. The Boss raised his pistol to crack it across his opponent's skull. What he did not anticipate was a well rehearsed maneuverer. Lucas had swiftly and discreetly tore out the titanium blade from his waist and in one quick swipe, carved a gash across the Batarian's face.

The Batarian stumbled back, alive and screaming in rage. Lucas backed off for a moment, letting his shields recharge as the Batarian clutched the bleeding wound. Lucas could not help but comment.

"Now you have two eyes. Just like the rest of us." The snide remark hit a bad nerve.

Before Lucas could even guess what was going to happen, he was hit with a heavy force. The Batarian crime boss had mustered up the most powerful biotic throw he could conjure and sent the infiltrator across the hall. The lieutenant crashed into the wall with an agonizing bang. Alarmed, Lucas shifted his head to the side just in time to avoid his own blade smacking into his face. The knife cracked into the wall with a sickening sound dangerously close to his neck. Lucas took a few deep breaths to calm his galloping heart.

"I am going to kill you!" the Batarian screamed. Suddenly, the floor under him started to creak and groan as biotic forces ripped the steel plating from off its moorings. He quickly glanced behind him. He saw Dalora sweating, her body encased in blue light.

"Not unless I kill you first." she stated through clenched teeth.

That last rivet holding the floor plate in place failed with a sharp clang. The plate and the Batarian rocketed up before slamming perfectly flat into the ceiling above. Dalora and Lucas stared at the floor plate above them. It had embedded into the ceiling and was not about to fall out. The old Batarian probably would have liked it. At least it wasn't a gunshot.

Exhausted, Dalora leaned against the wall, trying to collect herself. Lucas meanwhile yanked his knife out and checked its condition. He knew the reinforced titanium was a good investment as the blade was still in excellent shape. He made his way to Dalora after retrieving his rifle.

"You all right?" Lucas asked. Dalora glared at him before pushing him away.

"Now you're concerned about how I am and how I feel? You should have thought of that before you decided you would never be ready and didn't ask me how I felt or if I could help." the mercenary snapped before looking away. The lieutenant felt the sting, but tried to remain professional.

"We need to return to the _Shiloh. _I assume you figured out where we need to go." Lucas stated.

"Yeah...we need to go to Jartar in Hades Gamma."

* * *

Julland waited next to the elevator in C-Sec. He decided he would give the lieutenant and mercenary a few more hours before he returned to the _Shiloh_ and started talking with the crew about leaving. Inside, he felt the small bitterness of loss, knowing whatever he had with Elana would soon be forever gone with little if any hope of redemption. However, it felt good. Like a funeral for someone who had lived out a long life and was full of years, it was a goodbye but also a closure. Julland told himself to stop making it sound poetic before he got emotional. That's when he noticed Dalora and Lucas walking up to him.

"Ready?" Julland asked. The two humans nodded.

"All right, lets go." the Turian told them.

* * *

The two C-Sec guards had finally finished processing her and were leading her down the hallway to the brig. Nalia kept her smirk up. No one could take the smile from her. The Asari guard glanced at her. The prisoner looked like she had a secret that only she knew and no one else did. This troubled the Asari guard. She didn't realize the prisoner was secretly watching her footsteps.

Nalia remained calm and collected. She was utterly at ease and not even thrown off when she suddenly lashed out and kicked the Asari's lower leg hard. There was an audible snap and the Asari fell to the ground. In the same motion, Nalia sent her other foot into the downed guard's head, effectively knocking her out. Now she had to deal with the Turian.

The Turian guard pulled out his pistol and fired. Nalia anticipated this and bowed down. Incredibly, the bullet ripped through her handcuffs, setting her free. With a smile, Nalia suddenly glowed blue. The Turian was only able to glance unhappily at her before he was thrown against the wall and also knocked out cold by a biotic push. Freed, Nalia retrieved her weapons from the unconscious Asari next to her.

"Sister, you should have known better than to try and mess with a former commando." Nalia whispered, readying her Spectre pistol. She decided to take the Asari's own pistol as well. She heard the alarms going off. C-Sec had detected her breakout.

"Now the fun really begins."

* * *

In the main floor of C-Sec, everyone stared in alarm as a flood of guards suddenly erupted from a hallway, thrown like so many rag dolls. Seconds later, an Asari appeared, taking accurate shots with her two pistols, picking off the guards' weapons. Within moments, the agile Asari slipped into the elevator where she found several occupants inside. The two parties glanced at each other in alarm. Abruptly, Nalia pointed her pistols at two of the occupants before addressing the guards watching her.

"Nobody move. Let this elevator get up to the docking floor, and I won't shoot any one of the hostages." There was a pause. Nalia flicked her pistols at two of the occupants.

"Look at these two, they're newlyweds. You wouldn't want them to die before their wedding night, would you? I'd sure hate to die a virgin...well, I'm not sure about the bride here..." Nalia snapped sarcastically. Thankfully, the elevator doors closed. When they were well out of sight, Nalia lowered his pistols. Ironically, everyone in the elevator knew each other.

"If I did not know you any better, I'd friggin rip your head off." Dalora growled unhappily.

"I'd told you guys I'd race you to it." Nalia chuckled. Julland muttered something to Lucas.

"You see why it worried me?"

The elevator door flung open and the four of them found themselves staring at an empty docking bay. They paused for a moment. It was Lucas who broke it.

"So...we can go?"

"Eh, make it look like it's still a hostage situation, just in case." Nalia shrugged. Her three crew members lined up in front of her and she raised her pistols. They walked forward and the elevator doors closed behind them. Never did hostages look like a commando formation. Nalia spoke up to Lucas.

"Okay fly boy, you need to find a quick, light space craft that can get us to wherever we need to go in two minutes. Hint, it can't be the _Shiloh_."

"But my fighter is in there." Lucas snapped.

"It needs to fit all of us." Nalia retorted.

"Fine, fine...hold on...hey, over there!" Lucas pointed at a sleek and agile looking white commercial spacecraft. It was also small too, perhaps the space equivalent to a private jet.

"What is it?" Nalia asked.

"A Banshee GF 1800. Fastest civilian craft on the market, even in its most original version. Some buyers like to upgrade theirs' to make them even faster. This thing could even outrun some military vessels, one or two space fighter models as well." Lucas explained.

"Good. Get in." Nalia ordered and they slipped inside.

* * *

Dr. Jima stood in the communications hallway in the _Shiloh_. She stared ahead with her arms crossed skeptically in front of her chest. No one could see it, but her eyes were half closed with disbelief under her visor.

"Okay, wing that by me one more time, Dolphos." Jima ordered. Behind her, Talana listened in.

"This one does not speak with deception or in jest. This one heard the reports right here on the panels. Nalia has managed to escape and was last seen taking hostages in the C-Sec headquarters." Dolphos explained.

"That does sound very much like Nalia, and yet I refuse to believe it." Jima replied.

"He's right." Talana announced.

"Talana, not you too."

"No, I just saw them through the view ports. The problem is she doesn't have just any hostages, her hostages are Julland, Lucas and Dalora." Talana explained. Jima rushed over just in time to get a glance of them.

"Dolphos, I'm sorry I doubted you." Jima apologized.

"This one most willingly accepts your apology and does not wish you to trouble yourself with the incident." Dolphos answered graciously.

"They're heading towards that craft there...they're blasting off..." Talana announced, watching the white space craft shoot off before disappearing.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Talana? Go follow them." Jima stated excitedly.

"Jima...we're grounded." the navigator stated flatly.

"Oh...right. Shoot." the Quarian muttered. Suddenly, they heard the entrance door open. Everyone on the bridge stared bewildered as a heavily armed and armored Turian walked in. The Turian spoke.

"I am Spectre Dvoran Avalar, and I am your new captain. Our mission is to track down the rogue Spectre Nalia D'sara. If any of you are going to be a problem, speak now so I can throw you off this ship. If you complain later, I'll shoot you. Any questions?" Dvoran asked. No one said anything. They suddenly heard the sound of the moorings unlock off the _Shiloh_.

"Good. Navigator, get us out of here." Dvoran ordered.

"I wish we were still grounded." Talana muttered under her breath.


	27. Chapter 26

Lucas sat back in the pilot's chair, keeping a light grip on the joystick. Eventually, he just let his hands fall off so the automated controls kicked in. Perhaps that was one of the perks of commercial spacecraft. They were designed to become automated when cruising in space, and could be brought to manual control by just simply grasping the controls again. At this point, they were still five hours out from the Hades Gamma cluster, much less Jartar. Dalora and Nalia had fallen asleep in the passengers' seat behind them. He and Julland meanwhile were staring blankly at the view from the cockpit.

Each ball of light was a star. Each star had the probability, even in the slightest, of nurturing a planet that might support life. Even with the discovery of faster than light speed, the distances to comprehend were astonishing. Lucas had remembered the long time it took to scale a single mountain of the alps back at home. That was only a single mountain, much less the entire scope of the Earth. To think of one trying to journey through the emptiness of space, to walk each planet in its entirety. Not even the Asari who could boast a lifespan of a thousand years could even think of trying to accomplish this and make it worth noting. There was just too much to this galaxy. Even then, they still had not made it to the galaxies beyond the Milky Way. What of the galaxies beyond?

Lucas realized he had let his mind wander. He knew the next question he would ask is why the good Lord let the universe get so darn big. Sure, there were the Hanar, Elcor, Volus, Turians, Asari, Salarians and Batarians, not to mention a host of other non-sentient creatures. Even then, this was a minuscule amount of life to the vastness of space. Man had always looked just beyond the world he knew, whether it was the early humans who wondered just what it was beyond that plain they saw, the people of the Middle Ages who wondered just what laid beyond the sea, or the Information Age man who wondered what laid beyond this planet. Now his generation looked beyond their galaxy, tried to ignore the thought of the Reapers in dark space, and wondered what laid in the galaxies beyond.

"You look bored, Lieutenant." Julland interrupted his thoughts. Lucas glanced at him.

"If you don't mind my saying, you don't look any better." Lucas replied.

"Hmm, I've been thinking." the Turian announced.

"About what?"

"About what we did. You're on orders to find this virus, but technically you're AWOL now, but you had nothing to do with it because you were held hostage. Of course, only you and a select few people know that you're not really a hostage, so is what you're doing wrong? Meanwhile, there's me, not on duty anymore, not even really being held hostage, but in this situation I no longer care for the military or C-Sec. I just want to do what is right, but then again, my society obviously has a different set of values and-"

"I see where you're getting at. I do believe that there is a right and wrong, but I also believe each situation must be judged individually and the judgment of the individual taken into account."

"Very well, you were almost a human spiritual leader, what we're doing, is it right or wrong?"

"Well, I think the four of us here think we're doing the right thing, there's a crew on the _Shiloh_ who believe we're doing the right thing..."

"The Council and law enforcements certainly don't think so." Julland responded.

"Well if you get down to it, what they're really concerned about is how we're doing it, at least in this case. Sure, going AWOL, becoming a rebel, breaking out of prison and faking a hostage situation are not good things, and probably not even right."

"It's very confusing about being measured of what you do and how you do it, and how much of either effects what...if you follow." Julland stated.

"Exactly, and you know what, both are important." Lucas stated.

"So...basically what we did...was wrong because we did it the wrong way."

"Yes, but considering the circumstances, we had no other choice."

"So that excuses it all?"

"Probably not, but I'd sure hate it on my conscious not stopping a virus when I had a chance to and watching countless others die."

"So it become the individual to decide?"

"Well, you should never be untrue to yourself. But you also can't allow yourself to dictate _everything_. That's why we need society."

"This is getting all very confusing..."

"I know. Kind of why I like to think God will take settle all of this out in the 'Life Everlasting, Amen.'"

"Think that's a little wishful thinking?" Julland asked.

"Eh, that brings up a whole different field called 'Theology and Faith.' We'll have to talk about that another day cause I'm already starting to get confused."

"Agreed, Lieutenant. Just to say, sure, we're doing the right thing, but what if it turns out to be the wrong one?"

"Well, I spend a little more time in purgatory. I don't think this qualifies for a mortal sin." Lucas muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah well, whatever this purgatory place is, think I might have to join you because we're going to need a lot of time to sort these things out." Julland stated. The two again sat in silence.

A few seconds later, they heard Nalia shift, waking up from her sleep. She popped her head up behind them.

"You two can never become bored again. You can't imagine how much your discussion messed up my dream." Nalia grumbled.

* * *

Dvoran Avalar hovered over Talana who was stiffly working the controls of the _Shiloh_. They had been tracking the hijacked Banshee for hours but it seemed like they might be getting close to whatever the destination might be. The crew had taken an immediate dislike to Dvoran. The Turian Spectre did not pretend he didn't notice. He remained smug about it. However, no one dared to confront him about it. No one, except for Dr. Jima.

"To be blunt, Mr. Avalar, what exactly was the Council thinking when they ordered you to command the ship and crew that belonged to Nalia? Wouldn't they think we would not be the best to be sent against her?" Jima shot.

"It wasn't their idea. It was mine." Dvoran retorted.

"Then what were you thinking?"

"Who else would know Nalia better? Who else would be most likely to be sending her information? This is the best why I can get to know her quickly while also taking care of the most likely suspects who might be her moles. Understand, Quarian?" Dvoran growled, his patience coming at an end with the doctor.

"Perfectly." Jima answered quietly. Dvoran grumbled.

"Navigator, why aren't you running this frigate any faster?" the Turian demanded angrily.

"This is the fastest I can get it to run, Spectre." Talana answered respectfully. Dvoran stormed over to her. Much to his dismay, the Asari navigator was not fooling him. She was indeed running everything to their best extent. The Turian stormed away, cursing human engineering. Talana hid a smile. The Spectre had no idea what she had quietly ordered Merjj in engineering to do, which explained the current situation.

In the engine room, the Salarians and Asari workers lounged around. Some took naps while the high strung Salarians played an energetic card game. Merjj glanced at the drive core, which was running extremely inefficiently. One of his aides came up to him.

"The engine is still operating poorly but at least there will be no damage done to it. I have calculated that we are running at only twenty percent of our capabilities." the Salarian explained.

"Tell me officer, what were your orders?" Merjj asked.

"...To check and see if there would be no damage done to the engine by our inefficient programming of it, sir." the Salarian responded.

"And yet you went and did more work, did you not?"

"...Yes, sir."

"And did I not order you all to take a break?"

"True, sir."

"Very well. For going above and beyond the call of duty, when clearly ordered not to, I sentence you to join the card game. Dismissed." Merjj smirked.

"Sir, yes sir." his aide saluted.

Talana glanced at the readings in front of her. At this point, the destination for the Banshee spacecraft carrying their extra crew members was clear. As required by regulation, Talana relayed them to her captain.

"The target is headed towards Jartar. They will be approaching atmosphere entry within several minutes." Talana grudgingly announced.

"Very well. Continue to follow them and have the crew prepare the Mako in case I have to use it." Dvoran answered.

"Very well, sir." Talana stated. Jima, who had never left the bridge, overheard the conversation. She immediately activated her omni-tool and accessed the extranet. She had to relay them a message before they disembarked on the planet. It was a crucial piece of information that they had to know. That taken care of, she shut off the device.

"What did you do?" Dvoran asked her.

"Nothing important." Jima retorted.

"I said, what did you do?" Dvoran demanded, getting angry.

"Nothing you need to know." Jima asserted. Suddenly, Dvoran grabbed the Quarian by the throat and lifted her whimpering into the air.

"One last time, Doctor, or I'll crush your windpipe." the Turian growled. Jima just shook her head.

"You Quarians are so stupid, first you create the Geth and then you don't know how to save yourselves." Dvoran growled. Suddenly, a tentacle filled his field of vision before he felt his face go on fire.

Dolphos had seen enough from where he sat behind them. The Hanar reached out with his tentacle and sent a mild shock through the appendage and into the Turian's face. The Spectre was now clutching his face while growling through the intense pain. Jima got up to her feet.

"Here Mr. Avalar, your flailing about will only aggravate the situation." Jima immediately stabbed the Turian in the thigh with a syringe and injected a clear fluid. Dvoran immediately went limp.

"This one wishes to know what the brave doctor injected into the most disrespectful Turian." Dolphos asked. Jima looked at him while she dragged Dvoran to the medical bay.

"A paralyzing agent. He won't be able to move." Jima explained simply.

"So it was just a paralyzing agent. When will it wear off?" Talana asked.

"Yes, just a paralyzing agent. He is still very conscious of the pain he's in but he can't do anything about it. I'll take care of the rest. A nice long nap in cyrogenic suspension should cool him down for the remainder of the trip." Jima suggested, disappearing down the stairs while dragging the Turian. Dolphos and Talana looked at each other.

"This one believes you are now in command, good Talana." Dolphos stated.

"Indeed I am." Talana smiled before radioing the engine room.

"Merjj, fire those engines back up. The _Shiloh_ is now in better hands."

"Roger that, Talana. The boys enjoyed their break but I'll get them back to work. Over and out." Merjj responded. Talana smiled in satisfaction as the _Shiloh_ lurched with newfound power only a few seconds later.

* * *

Lucas had pulled the Banshee into the atmosphere but the pilot soon had a problem. It all began when he started hailing for the planet traffic control to allow him to dock. He got no response. Everyone else on the ship looked up in alarm. Why wouldn't the control respond?

"Looks like we're going to have to wing this. Dalora, did your contact tell you where exactly this operation might be?" Lucas asked.

"No, we're also going to have to figure that out." the mercenary admitted.

"Nothing is ever simple, is it?" Lucas murmured.

"Actually Lieutenant, I think we may readily get a few answers." Julland announced, glaring out his side of the cockpit.

"How's that?"

"Look over on this side." Julland suggested. Lucas manipulated the joystick, bringing where the Turian was pointing into view. It revealed a vertical cliff side. The cliff itself was not interesting. What caught their attention was the distinctive shape of a Geth drop ship grounded next to it.

"Now how in the world am I going to find a nearby landing strip so we can get there in time?" Lucas asked to no one in particular.

"You just love questions, don't you?" Nalia asked. Before Lucas could respond, a fast moving projectile screamed into view and rattled the ship, hitting it on the wing. Emergency alarms immediately started blaring.

"I'm sure that was from a rocket trooper." Julland growled.

"Never mind, I'll settle for landing anywhere at this point." Lucas sputtered, wrestling with the controls.

"Something tells me this isn't going to be pretty." Dalora sighed.

"Well, pilots have a saying..."

"Do I want to know?" the mercenary grumped.

"Any landing you walk away from is a good landing."

"Well you had better darn land soft enough to do more than just walk from this. We're going to have to run and fight." Nalia snapped.

"Well then, fasten your seat belts cause we're going to hit something worse than turbulence." Lucas warned as the Banshee spacecraft rattled and screamed through the sky.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Dalora asked nervously, watching the numbers on the dials go berserk.

"Of course he does, he's a fighter pilot." Julland snapped.

"That just means he's good at blowing up other pilots. Maybe he's also good at...what do you humans say? Being a kamikaze? They liked to crash themselves, right?" Nalia retorted.

"All of you, shut up!" Lucas yelled.

The Banshee corkscrewed towards the earth as Lucas fought with a craft and controls that he was not familiar with. With only a few hundred feet remaining between the ship and the ground, the Banshee finally was able to level out but continued to travel at speeds that would have panicked a control tower crew. It seemed like the Banshee was just starting to get to a shaky stability when it abruptly slammed into the ground.

* * *

The _Shiloh_ screamed into the atmosphere a few seconds later. The frigate slowly came to a hover before heading off in the direction the Banshee must have shot off to.

"This one is tracking their path...they are close by. Perhaps there may be evidence that the craft may have landed." Dolphos suggested. Talana let out a frustrated growl as she glanced through each viewport.

"You can barely see anything through these things...oh goddess, they did more than just land..." Talana cried. Jima reappeared behind her.

"What happened?"

"They tore a long trench into the ground. It looks like a hard landing but there's still a dust cloud...I can't tell if they're still intact or if they even survived it." Talana announced.

"Try hailing them." Jima suggested.

"This one urgently suggests against that." Dolphos interrupted.

"Why?" the Asari navigator asked.

"Because this one has picked up three hostile contacts heading on our position. They are Geth frigates."


	28. Chapter 27

Geth frigates were slightly larger than the _Shiloh_ and a single one was a formidable adversary enough for a lone Alliance made vessel. Three would be pressing it. However, retreat was not an option either, since there was little chance in outrunning them. Fully aware of the odds, Talana nonetheless shouted out the orders.

"Dolphos, notify the crew to prepare battle stations. Tell everyone to hang on cause this is going to be a bumpy ride." Talana announced through clenched teeth, throttling the _Shiloh_ to avoid the first salvo of enemy projectiles. Momentarily distraught over what to do, the Asari navigator decided to dash away from the crash site. If her comrades were still alive, the last thing they would need is for the Geth to notice them as well as burning frigates falling out of the sky.

* * *

Everything was a blur and a bit dim. Nonetheless, the body has the amazing ability to reboot itself after a traumatizing event. Alas, Nalia's nagging voice did not qualify as traumatizing enough to remain unconscious.

"Lieutenant, you all right? This was not a three point landing." Nalia scolded. Lucas blinked his eyes a few times, letting the optical implants find the optimal focal point. Finally gaining his bearings, the lieutenant rapidly wagged his head to clear everything.

"Is everyone all right?" Lucas asked.

"Other than perhaps galloping cardiovascular organs and a bruise or two, we're all fine." Julland informed.

"That and this scorching heat." Dalora added.

"Well, we are very close to the Dis star." Julland reminded.

"Another good thing about the Banshee is that it's designed to protect the occupants from all but the very worse crashes." Lucas stated proudly.

"Thrilling. Lets get out of here." Nalia ordered.

The four stumbled out of the wreckage and into the scorching red landscape of the Jartar planet. Overhead, the enraged Dis star swallowed a massive section of the midday sky. Across the land, massive heat thermals distorted their vision. In this inferno, the only thing that worked in their favor was that the temperatures were just short of being a hazard. Their armors' onboard temperature compensator was just able to shield them, barely, but able.

"Before we go any further, Jima sent something to my false account. It looks important." Dalora announced. They all looked at her.

"And what did the good doctor prescribe?" Nalia asked.

"She said that we are to avoid gunfire or any other similar conflict. If we are forced to, we are to keep it in open spaces, not closed in areas, and to engage from long distances. Impacting bullets will cause blood sprays which will spread the virus from infected targets. She suggest using ammo that will disintegrate bodies to further discourage the spread of the virus. I think she means chemical rounds, cyro rounds and the like." Dalora explained.

"I assume we all have stuff like that?" Nalia asked. They all nodded. Julland's sledgehammer rounds as well as Dalora's polonium rounds liquidated targets while Nalia's two pistols were fitted with her favorite snowblind rounds. No one needed to be reminded the kind of heat Lucas was packing.

"All right...so which way back to that Geth drop ship? Maybe it will lead us to someplace important." the Asari asked to no one in particular. Julland looked around.

"Judging by the rock formations, I think we have to head east of here." the Turian suggested.

"Sounds good to me." the Spectre agreed.

"Before we go, we have a slight problem." Lucas announced.

"What now?"

"Looks like the Geth sent a search party to check on us."

"How do you know? I can't see anything from here." Nalia responded, scanning the area. She looked back at Lucas who looked at her. That's when she notice Lucas' pupils rapidly dilate, much too fast to be human.

"Ah, I see..."

"No, I see."

"That was a bad joke, Lieutenant." Julland murmured.

"What exactly does Jima mean by 'long distances?'" Dalora suddenly asked. There was a pause as they all suddenly wished the Quarian doctor was right there with them. The silence meant no one really knew.

"We can't keep wasting time. Julland, Lucas, get your rifles out and take them out from here." Nalia ordered.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Lucas grinned.

* * *

The _Shiloh_ plowed through the Jartar atmosphere, closely pursued by the three Geth frigates that were earnestly laying down a cloud of projectiles. Inside the _Shiloh_, the occupants started to sweat profusely as the heat started to get out of control. It was quite clear to everyone that they were in a desperate situation. Trying to keep her cool, Talana called out to Dolphos.

"Dolphos, tell me what's going on." The Hanar immediately scanned the numerous panels in front of him, his many tentacles stroking the monitor controls energetically.

"The _Shiloh's _kinetic barriers are down to thirty percent. Of our adversaries, none have barriers below fifty. Internal core temperatures approaching dangerous levels. This one estimates that at the rate of usage, the _Shiloh_ will be forced to come to a halt and discharge core heat in twenty minutes." Dolphos announced. Talana ground her teeth. She needed more than twenty minutes. She hit her comm link.

"Merjj, can you guys do something to that core to give me more than just twenty minutes?" Talana asked.

"Negative, Talana. We've already manipulated this core to the best it can go. We're already sweltering down here and I've had two men pass out from the heat. I cannot give you any more." Merjj apologized.

"Thank you, Merjj." Talana answered before scanning her radar. Before she could get a good look at it, the _Shiloh_ rattled hard under the strafing fire of one of the passing Geth frigates.

"Shields down to fifteen percent!" Dolphos cried. Talana gathered herself and tried to analyze the situation again. Two of the Geth frigates were behind the _Shiloh_ and approaching from either side. Meanwhile, the frigate that passed them was just starting to turn around for another pass. The Asari gathered their shield information as well as the Geths' own status. She realized what their only chance was. It was a long shot, but a gamble they had no choice but to do. Talana brought the _Shiloh_ to a screeching halt, hovering in place.

"Dolphos, take all power away from our shields." Talana ordered.

"Excuse this one, but did it hear you correctly?" Dolphos asked in disbelief.

"Do it Dolphos! We'll take off as much strain on the core as possible."

"This one apologizes, shields are off." Dolphos announced.

"All right, fire control, have all turrets focus on the frigates on our flanks. Merjj, I want you to start venting heat from the core, but be prepared to shut off the vents the second I tell you so I can maneuverer the _Shiloh_ again, am I clear?"

"Clear, Talana." Merjj answered.

Outside, the _Shiloh_ was dead in the air, its hull starting to get peppered by the smaller turret fire of the Geth. The hull would not hold up forever. In response, a pitiful amount of turrets from the _Shiloh_ fired on the frigates on its side while Talana fired the weapons on the front of the ship where the majority of the them were. To the Geth, it seemed like the ship had just given up. The Geth did not understand the concept of surrender.

* * *

A Geth sniper huddled among the burning and melted hulls of its former comrades. Calculating its known factors, severely handicapped now since it was alone and no longer had the collective intelligence of others around it, it took a quick glance from behind a rock. It immediately exploded in an inferno.

Lucas lowered his rifle and let the mechanisms in the Dante expend the accumulated heat. Meanwhile, Dalora and Nalia sat up, having decided to lounge around while the two soldiers picked off the Geth.

"Done yet?" Nalia asked.

"Hold on, let me check..." Lucas stated, letting his optical implants scan the area.

"I don't see anything shining down there." Julland stated, referring to the sun glinting off of any metal.

"Yep, all clear." Lucas confirmed.

"All right, lets go." Nalia ordered, heading straight. Lucas stopped her.

"We follow the ridge." the infiltrator told her.

"Excuse me?"

"We follow the ridge. Always stick to the higher ground, more cover, tactical advantage, and no Thresher Maws." Lucas explained.

"No wind either." Dalora added. They all looked at her.

"No wind that would blow particles of the Apollyon virus." the mercenary clarified. They all suddenly shuddered at that thought.

"Very well, I'll agree with you on just this one, Lieutenant." Nalia relented.

"Thank you."

"I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but I just realized we've been downwind of those Geth this whole time." Julland murmured. They all looked at him. The mental image of their sniper rounds tearing into the Geth metal, aerosolize the virus particles which would then be blown up towards them...it wasn't a happy thought by any means.

"Lets just go." Nalia said quickly.

* * *

On the _Shiloh_, everyone wondered what had gotten into their navigator as they felt the devastating tremors wreck the ship. The punishment from the Geth frigates was getting worse. It was a miracle the hull had held out as long as it did. To make matters worse, it was clear to everyone that Talana was holding them in a single spot.

"Hull integrity is dropping. There will be a critical breech in the armor plating if you do not move the _Shiloh_." Dolphos told Talana.

"Hold on, gun teams, keep firing on the ones on our flanks." Talana told them stubbornly. Against their better judgment, everyone held on and tried to ignore the shakes and alarms going off. The navigator studied the distance between them and the Geth frigate approaching them dead on. She waited. Suddenly, Dolphos yelled out in alarm.

"Sensors show the frigates have activated their torpedoes. I repeat, incoming bombs are active!" Dolphos cried. Talana sprung into action.

"Merjj, close the vents, we're moving soon!" Talana yelled.

"Orders received, we are ready to move." Merjj answered back.

"Dolphos, keep the shields down, do not return them until I tell you." Talana ordered.

"Yes...Talana." Dolphos answered weakly. Still, the _Shiloh_ did not move.

"Talana, move!" Dolphos yelled. Talana did nothing.

"Talana!" the Asari suddenly reacted. She unleashed a salvo of torpedoes as the incoming Geth frigate before suddenly firing the engines. In a flash, the _Shiloh_ lurched forward and dived towards the Jartar landscape. This sudden maneuverer took the Geth by surprise and they could not react in time. Too late did they realize that the whole time, the _Shiloh_ had lured them into a trap.

The salvo from the _Shiloh_ quickly ate away the oncoming frigate's shields and tore into the bridge. The frigate rapidly fell to the planet surface. Meanwhile, the two frigates that had been on the flanks suddenly noted that the bombs they had fired on the _Shiloh_ were now approaching empty space and instead were headed at each other. Two more explosions lit up the sky.

"Dolphos, you may return power back to our shields. Lets head back to the crash site." Talana stated.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Once again, Nalia had let Lucas and Julland lead the expedition as they scaled the ridge that would lead them over the Geth dropship. Already, the sun was starting to set. Julland had belatedly looked up information on Jartar with his omni-tool and found out that a "day" on Jartar was basically two hours and so many minutes. They could already tell they had landed on a bizarre planet. Pausing to take a quick break, Dalora pointed to a nearby settlement off in the distance.

"It looks lifeless down there." the mercenary said.

"That's because it is lifeless." Lucas responded darkly.

"What do you mean?" Dalora asked.

"They're all dead down there." Lucas answered, scanning the sight with his optical implants.

"Apollyon?" Julland inquired.

"Sure looks like it."

Mercifully, only the infiltrator saw what had happened. Bodies laid strewn in the streets where they fell as if struck down by lightning. Oozing out of the environmental suits was the same black gore that had collected into a single stream. It had pooled from the bodies outside and even from bleeding through the doorways of now vacant buildings that had become mass graves. This stream of biological corruption ran through the main street of the city and turned the pathway into a river more hellish than the mythical river Styx.

They were nearing the Geth dropship when Nalia's comm link suddenly opened up. The welcomed voice of Talana was a relief to them all.

"Nalia, Lucas, Dalora, Julland? Any of you down there?" Talana asked.

"Yes, we're all down here, alive and well. Where are you, Talana?" Nalia asked.

"Rapidly approaching your position. We will pick you up and get you off this forsaken planet." the navigator told them.

"Negative on that, we still have to find out where this virus came from and find a way to destroy it." Nalia responded.

"With all due respect my lady, there's no one left on this planet." Talana stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Apollyon has devastated the entire planet. We flown past towns, settlements, even a major city. The dead are everywhere, in the streets, on buildings, even in the open fields where it looks like people tried to escape. We need to leave this planet quickly." Talana asserted.

"If they're all dead, then could you please explain why we see signs of life coming from a certain mine shaft that looks like the Geth tried to take?" Nalia asked. A few minutes ago, the party of four had been able to pick out what looked like a mine shaft next to the now lifeless Geth dropship. The bodies of Geth troopers littered the place, but there was still movement coming from the mine entrance.

"No clue, my lady. However, Jima would like to warn you of one thing." Talana added.

"What's that?"

"She's taking readings from our long range scanners. She has figured out this is a different strain of Apollyon."

"I'm guessing she's calling it Apollyon S2, isn't she?" Lucas suddenly interrupted the radio conversation.

"Yes...yes she is."


	29. Chapter 28

Talana continued to give them video feeds of what they had seen while the four made their way towards the mine shaft. The video clips looked like something out of a very bad horror movie or the writings of the apocalypse. It seemed as if the angels of judgment had visited Jartar and decided to leave none to bury the dead. It wasn't as if anyone else was going to do it now either. Jima had even been able to figure out that the minimal wildlife had been decimated as well.

Lucas still was not able to figure out what was going on in the mine shaft. It appeared that whatever had been moving there was no longer popping back up. They also started to realize what had happened to the Geth troopers as well. Some had been maimed by gunfire. Others, the majority, were very much intact, the victims of Apollyon. The four gave those troopers a wide berth.

The four approached the shaft coming from the side of the ridge. They had taken a pathway back down to the foot of the ridge. It was apparent that the Geth dropship was probably devoid of life, there certainly wasn't any apparent activity going on in or outside of it. Meanwhile, Nalia insisited on having a constant feed of information coming from the _Shiloh_.

"Jima, what have you found out so far about Apollyon S2?" Nalia asked.

"Extremely similar to the S1 strain. However, there is only a slight variation in the structure and I'm thinking the behavior is a little different as well."

"Why do you think that?"

"Lets be honest. This planet is devoid of life now. How does a virus tear through the planet that quickly without anyone being able to radio for help or set off an alarm? We haven't been able to pick out any clues of either of those happening. The _Shiloh_ has been able to isolate only a handful of settlements that are untouched. Settlements either were liquidated or not impacted and it seems like the ones that were not destroyed were spared because they are extremely isolated from the others. We have told them to immediately evacuate the planet. There is also one last clue we have. It is the following video feed we managed to salvage from a city's surveillance system.."

The patch streamed into their HUDs. It showed two Geth dropships touching down on a barren city. Jima explained that this invasion must have occurred several hours after the virus killed off the population. They could see troopers forming up on different sides of the city, one that walked right through the city's main street and another that marched through a covered roadway. Unexpectedly, the troopers that walked through the main street, despite the gore and bodies that littered the area and the obvious viral contamination, managed to walk out of the city alive. The troopers that marched into the covered roadway were never seen exiting.

"I don't understand. Why did the troopers that walked through the city survive but those who took the road didn't? Both had similar levels of contamination, or so it would seem." Julland speculated.

"It does seem like a mystery, until you figure out what is different between the two areas they walked through." Jima explained.

"What's the difference?" Nalia asked.

"Sunlight. It seems like S2 denatures after several hours of being exposed to the direct Dis sunlight. The covered road did not get any of that and so the virus was still viable. S2 is smarter than S1 in that it has a slightly longer incubation period, allowing an infected host to remain alive longer and therefore give it a greater opportunity to infect more people. The symptoms also are postponed longer despite the infection. However, it is less environmentally stable than S1, so at least it has a weakness. When the virus does go active, it still kills quickly, however." Jima observed.

"Well that's a slight relief." Nalia murmured.

"Yes, it's so weak it annihilated the population of a whole planet!" Dalora cried.

"That is a paradox of pathology, unfortunately." Jima commented.

"Wait a minute, if a column of Geth troopers did not get infected, then where are they now?" Julland asked. Dolphos the Hanar information wizard decided to answer that.

"This one has been able to figure out that that column is in fact the destroyed Geth troopers you are walking through now. The troopers that are intact were destroyed from an earlier time, perhaps infected during the time the planet was facing away from the star." Dolphos suggested.

"Considering the two hour daylight, it probably takes an hour or so to denature the virus." Jima added.

"So who shot up these troopers then?" Dalora asked.

"Batarians." Lucas interrupted. They all looked at him.

"I spotted a few peaking out from the mine shaft. They haven't noticed us yet." Lucas stated.

"So what do we do? Shoot them or try to negotiate?" Dalora asked.

"Lets shoot them." Nalia said flatly.

"There's a virus out there, possibly hiding in that mine, and you want to go setting off rounds in there?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"Hmm...all right, but do you have any better ideas?" Nalia retorted.

"Hey, just a question, but why are those Batarians still alive? There's no sunlight down that shaft, so how did they not get infected?" Julland asked curiously.

"See, there's a lot of questions here. We might as well try to keep them alive so we can get some answers." Dalora suggested. Nalia looked at her.

"You've been hanging out too long with the Lieutenant, you're starting to sound like each other." the Asari chided. Lucas and Dalora did not seem amused.

"All right...let's come up with a plan then..." Nalia sighed.

* * *

The plan turned out to be simple, so long as everything went right. If something went wrong, they would be in a rather sticky situation. Otherwise, the scheme plainly was contact the mine through radio, appeal to the fact that Geth were still in the area and that the _Shiloh_ needed to be repaired, and offer the assistance of the Quarian doctor on board as well as her "bodyguards." The Batarians took it, hook, line and sinker.

A group of Batarians waited with Dalora, Lucas, Nalia and Julland at the edge of the shaft's external structures. The two different parties kept a healthy distance from each other and did not say anything at all. Overhead, the _Shiloh_ slowly pulled into view and landed several meters away from the waiting groups. Immediately, several Salarians, including Merjj, appeared and started to tend to the carbonized holes in the hull. Later, Dr. Jima appeared carrying a small case that was probably more medical equipment. This time, she wore the yellow and white pattern of a Liberator armor, presumably bought during the short time they were on the Citadel. Jima greeted them first.

"It is good to see you all again." she stated to her four comrades.

"Good to have you around, especially with the current situation at hand." Lucas answered.

"All right, all right, get up and inside. We don't want to be out here if more Geth arrive." a Batarian growled.

"Before I do that, I need to make sure none of you are infected." Jima stated.

"We don't have time for that." the Batarian snapped. Before Nalia could do something rash, Jima intervened.

"It will only take a quick scan with my omni-tool. I programmed an application on it to scan for the basic signature for Apollyon and the specific known strains. Just give me a few seconds." Jima stated, letting her omni-tool run through the diagnostics on the personnel present. There were a couple moments of silence. Julland, Dalora and Lucas were keenly aware of how close they had been to some of the dead Geth back there, not to mention being on the wrong side of the wind. Jima looked up.

"You're all clear." Everyone, including the Batarians, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is that what they're calling it, Apollyon?" a thoughtful looking Batarian asked. Jima simply nodded, the first Batarian meanwhile acted up.

"Shut up, Peon."

"I figured we might as well know, Duke."

"It doesn't matter, now lets all get inside." "Duke" growled.

"Before I do that, I also need to make sure that the inside of the mine isn't contaminated as well." Jima cautioned. Duke was clearly agitated by this but reason trumped impatience.

The four kept a wide berth from the entrance while Jima scanned the immediate area as well. That too got the all clear from the Quarian doctor and they filed inside. As they walked in, Nalia decided to start asking questions.

"So how did the infection get out in the first place?"

"A better question is how you all avoided getting sick. Did you hide in this mine to avoid it?" Julland asked. Duke only chuckled.

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."

"Just tell us." Dalora asserted.

"This is where the virus came from." Duke stated simply. Jima glanced at him in shock.

"You mean to tell me that this is the epicenter of the original outbreak?" Jima asked.

"I have no clue what that means. I don't know where the virus first started killing people, all I know is that this is where it came from." Duke answered.

"How do you know?" the Turian inquired.

"Because this is where the vials were found."

"Vials? As in plural? How many are there?" Jima asked in disbelief.

"As in enough that I never bothered counting."


	30. Chapter 29

The mine shaft seemed slightly roomier than most other shaft models. However, they all realized that the mine had in fact ended some distance behind them and they were now walking in something different. Julland squinted at the structure of the tunnel they were walking through.

"Are these...Prothean ruins?" the Turian asked.

"Must be. They were here when we found this and they look like other Prothean ruins we've found." Duke answered.

"I don't know...there's something not quite right with them." Dalora hesitated.

"Fine, don't believe me." Duke grumbled. They continued to walk further into the ruins.

The rough cut rock abruptly disappeared and soon it was nothing but a continuous stretch of the ancient structure. There was something different to the dust that had accumulated, as if they were the very sands of time. Lights barely adequate to light up the whole tunnel left curious shadows and gray spots. They could feel what seemed like bone chilling air slowly rising up from deep in the bowels of the ruins. "Musty" could not even begin to describe the smell, as if even their noses could understand there was something profoundly ancient and foreboding down there, a feeling that condensed down into their lungs and settled further into their minds.

Soon, the group of Batarians and Council agents found themselves at what seemed to be the landing of the shaft. A heavy set of sealed doors barred any further progress. Standing around on the landing was another group of about another ten Batarians on top of the four that had escorted them down there.

"Well, we're here, Boss Tharnok." the one known as Peon announced happily.

"Shut up, Peon. No need to overstate the obvious." Duke scolded in disgust. The one who seemed to answer by "Tharnok" sized up the five newcomers.

"I assume the Quarian is the doctor." Tharnok stated thoughtfully. Jima simply nodded. Tharnok gave the air of quiet danger, a man who wielded deadly power, but also knew better than to use it for senseless destruction. He gave the impression of a merchant, someone looking for a profit and knowing full well that there was more profit in trying to keep damage to a minimum. However, anyone or anything that got in the way could expect to feel the boiling fury of this Batarian.

There was a few moments of silence as everyone sized each other up. Dalora turned her back for a moment to glance at the architecture of the walls. She knew that these were not Prothean ruins at all. She also knew better than to try and argue with the Batarians about it if they already made up their minds. However, it was probably worth at least trying mentioning it to them. When she turned around, she saw that any further discussion was going to be impossible. As usual, it was Nalia to blame.

The Asari had her pistol out, and although it was only pointed up towards the ceiling, the Batarians were clearly on edge. Tharnok eyed Nalia with deadly concentration, measuring just how dangerous the situation was. Nalia started to speak.

"Okay, I need some answers and I don't have time to screw around, so I want the truth and I want it in simple terms. Do we have an understanding?" Nalia demanded, matching Tharnok's demeanor. The Batarian leader decided to play fair for the moment.

"Normally, I don't like someone breathing down my throat and I certainly don't like this tone, but considering a greater enemy is probably out there, I'll tolerate this for the moment. What do you want to know?" Tharnok asked coldly.

"Are you the ones who let out the virus, Apollyon, out there on the planet?" Nalia asked.

"No. The team before us must have on accident. We're part of a small operation that seeks and explores minor Prothean ruins, trying to find anything of value to be sold or used. We found this one a few weeks ago. We keep constant radio contact so when the last team dropped out of contact a couple of days ago, we came in to investigate. All we found were bodies outside the mine." Tharnok explained.

"Were there any bodies inside?" Jima interrupted.

"None that we found.

"How did your team know about the viruses when you found them?" Nalia asked.

"We have members who are also on good terms with the Shadow Broker. It was a tedious process, but it was figured out what was in those vials. Devlon Industries wanted a sample after hearing rumors of it, so we sent a vial or two. We just did not tell them just how much we had." Tharnok shrugged.

"So Vink Horlorn contacted you guys through the Shadow Broker?" Nalia asked.

"We had nothing to do with that. We just found the viruses and sell them to whoever is willing to cough up the most amount of money. Last we heard, it was Horlorn who stole some of the samples we sold to Devlon Industries. Nothing we can do about that."

"How many samples are we looking at?" Jima asked.

"Check in that room, you can see for yourselves. There's a couple of terminals in there that will let you see inside the holding chambers." the Batarian flicked his hand at a nearby door. Julland cautiously opened the highlighted doors using a console and the five filed in. The doors closed behind them.

"Was it really necessary to hold your gun out like that?" Lucas asked Nalia as they walked in.

"You should be used to this by now." the Asari told him.

"Nalia, you have no sense of diplomacy. They might be Batarians but they still deserve respect." Lucas insisted. Nalia glared at him full force.

"Let me tell you a thing or two about respect, Lucas." Nalia started. Lucas braced himself for the lecture.

"Your convictions about respect for other species and all of the races coming together is admirable. Yes, it does have its benefits, but there are casualties as well. You don't think I had an idea or two about respect and sanctity? I was the daughter of a Matriarch with her own group of followers. I had my ear bent to that stuff for the first few decades of my life. You know who it was that made me the way I am now, Lucas?" Nalia demanded.

"Who?"

"You. Humans. Sure, the owners of the strip clubs and other establishments of ill repute that hired me were not necessarily humans, but it seems like human men become so weak in the presence of an Asari...and so demanding as well. I dealt with the degradation for awhile. Soon, I realized I could use it to my advantage. Jumping at advantages and playing aggressive was how I manipulated those idiots in the bars and how I survived on the battlefield. I use everything I have to my advantage. I don't take chances anymore, Lucas. I'll give you my respect if I want to. If I judge that you don't deserve it, you're going to have to earn it from me. Batarians are already in the negatives on my scale." Nalia explained.

"Is this why you haven't had any other humans on board the _Shiloh_?" Lucas asked.

"...Yes, yes it is." The group shakily got back to business.

Julland, Nalia, Lucas, Dalora and Jima glanced at the small, rather cramped room that they just walked into. Dominating one length of the room was a collection of ancient monitors and terminals that were still operational. A hologram displayed the interior just beyond the sealed doors. Jima took one look at display. She let out an exclamation in the Quarian language.

Apparently, the holding room was in fact a large cylinder shaped room that was probably five levels deep. All along the walls of the long shaft were containers. They were capsules that contained strains upon strains of Apollyon.

"There must be hundreds if not thousands of them..." Lucas stated in shock.

"And it only takes one capsule to annihilate a whole planet." Jima murmured.

* * *

Tharnok immediately ordered a squad of his men to form a line at the door. The Batarians readily took their firearms out and shouldered them, staring at the closed control room that the others had disappeared behind.

"If they open the door, make it clear that they are not to go out. If any try to escape or do anything stupid, shoot them. Don't shoot on sight, though." Tharnok ordered.

"What will you do to them?" Peon asked.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I want them to die. I can't stand anyone disrespecting me like that Asari did. We don't need the doctor, she'll probably poison us anyway." Tharnok murmured.

"So what will you do?" Duke asked time time.

"I want you and Peon to head into that room. Find a vial at the bottom of the shaft and then bring it up here." Tharnok ordered.

"If I may ask, boss, why the bottom?" Peon inquired.

"For once I will humor your curiosity. The reason I want one from the bottom is because we've never chosen a virus from there before. Lets see what they put on the bottom."

* * *

"Okay, this was definitely not built by the Protheans, I'm sure of it." Dalora stated, motioning around the room.

"How do you know?" Lucas asked.

"Once again, back to my line of work as a mercenary. There are big credits resting on anything Prothean. I learned how to pick out their architecture. There's something different about these ruins." Dalora insisted.

"Whatever you say." Lucas answered flatly.

"If only there was a way to decipher the controls here..." Jima said wistfully, looking at the terminals.

"Wait...what are those two doing?" Julland demanded, staring at the holographic display. There were the 3D images, two Batarians were scaling down the spiral of the cylinder room, heading towards the bottom.

"I'm going to get some answers." the Turian stated, heading towards the door. Nalia followed close behind his heels.

* * *

Peon and Duke walked through the eerie, sterile light blue glow of the holding room. They had no clue how long it had been since the last living being walked the same path they did. A mere two feet from them on the walls were the seemingly lifeless dark gray capsules, each holding a sample of billions of Apollyon viruses. These halls were lifeless, even the viruses, Apollyon, could not be classified as a truly living organism. It was in this room that life and death teetered on a razor's edge. Nano-meters were the measures of effective range. That which was classified as truly living grasped that which could not be classified as alive in their hands, and knew that they cradled death in the same act. Peon and Duke made it to the end of the hallway, barred by a barrier curtain. The force field showed that there was a final shelf of vials behind it.

"Think we should go in or just get one from here?" Peon asked.

"The boss said to go to the bottom. We're going to get past this field and take a capsule from here." Duke asserted.

"All right, all right." Peon submitted, and hit the console to shut off the field. The two Batarians stepped inside. Their footsteps disturbed ancient particles that slowly rose up into the air. Oblivious to the fine dust, Duke grabbed the nearest capsule and turned to leave. Unseen to their eyes, awakening in the shifted ashes, an angel of destruction unfurled its wings.

* * *

Julland and Nalia stared at the firing squad that stared back at them from across the doorway. It was too late to take weapons out. They were already in a standoff and it was not in their favor. Tharnok stared at his captives with a sadistic, laughing gleam in his eye. He had gotten the last laugh, or so it seemed. Meanwhile, Nalia heard a small whisper in her comm link. It was Jima.

"Close the door." the doctor whispered. Nalia's hand went for the console again.

"Don't move, any of you." Tharnok warned.

"Hurry...you must close the door." Jima hissed. What had gotten into the doctor?

Jima had good reason to be concerned. Using her electronic skills, she had managed to connect into the ancient software. Immediately, all the alien symbols and calligraphy became readable, translating into the language they understood. The Quarian stared in alarm as the hologram traced the rapid pace of an outbreak. When the two Batarians opened the barrier field, they had unwittingly opened a quarantine. That field had immediately closed on an automated system. Many thousands of years ago, something must have disturbed a capsule in that very room which must have shattered. The virus then went inactive in spores, waiting to be disturbed and picked up. When Peon and Duke stepped into the room, they disturbed the dust that another Apollyon strain had been hiding in. Now, because of the air pressure difference, the dust and particles were traveling up the shaft. The hologram kept track of the ascent of the new strain. It only had two more flights to go and Jima saw that Nalia and Julland were effectively tied. Not even Lucas or Dalora could offer help. Jima immediately started manipulating the software as best she could. She had to seal off the rooms, but how?

* * *

Inside a new environment, Apollyon awakened from a long sleep. Now it was viable again, as dangerous as it was the first day it was created. The individual viruses started to survey their new environment, latching onto cells and hijacking the DNA. Their programming kicked in, following ancient instructions. The new host would have to be sized up and analyzed first. Each host had to be handled individually. There were several general rules. A healthier host usually had stronger systems and more nutrients. This only meant that they would suffer even more.

* * *

Jima quietly whooped in triumph. She found the controls for the main door that would seal off the entire holding room. Discreetly, out of sight of Tharnok, she told the terminals to close it. Her heat dropped when she saw just how slowly the doors were in fact closing. Apollyon was getting closer to the door.

"What the,- why are the doors closing?" Tharnok demanded. Julland seized the distraction.

The Turian activated his omni-tool and fired an immunity field around him, giving him a temporary imperviousness to most combat hazards. When the Batarians opened fire, he let his shields absorb the rounds as he swiftly told the console doors to close and lock. The metal barriers immediately started to follow his orders.

Tharnok stamped towards the closing door. He managed to make out a single shadow coming up to him. It was Peon, clutching a capsule.

"Peon, hurry up! The doors are closing!" Tharnok yelled. Peon stumbled up to the doors. That's when Tharnok noticed his bloodshot eyes.

"Duke...fell" Peon reported weakly. The doors kept getting narrower.

"Give me the virus!" Tharnok shouted. Suddenly, Peon coughed violently into Tharnok's face. The doors closed just as Peon fell back dead behind the door. Meanwhile, Tharnok felt a cold realization hit him.

Peon had indeed given him the virus.

* * *

Jima stared at the hologram, trying to read what was going on. The display highlighted in light blue the infected areas as well as recently infected hosts. The figure that had been Peon had become a brilliant neon red when the virus became active. The figure that was Peon became black, the same as the figure that had been Duke, when the virus was finished. Jima, Julland, Nalia, Dalora and Lucas stared in horror as the corridor outside of them flashed light blue, having been invaded by the new Apollyon strain. The twelve remaining Batarians suddenly lit up in red. They did not last long after that.

"Wait...look at the room we're in." Nalia stated.

"What about it? It's still sterile according to this." Julland answered.

"Look, there's speck of light blue. Its saying that the virus is in here...it's...it's in one of us." Nalia stated, her voice trembling. Jima took a closer look at the display. The Quarian looked then at the Asari.

"Nalia...it's you who is infected."


	31. Chapter 30

"Nalia, I ask that you keep your mouth shut and don't say anything and don't cough. That'll help minimize the spread of the virus..." Jima stated slowly. Although very much alarmed, Nalia kept her wits about her. She remained silent as Jima asked. Then in one swift motion, she brought her pistol to her head. Everyone held their hands up.

"Nalia, don't do that, that isn't the way." Lucas stated. Everyone else was nodding in agreement with him. The Asari just stared at them with determined eyes. Suddenly, Julland lashed out and Nalia's hand and the pistol flew back. The firearm clattered to the ground. Nalia dove after it. Julland dashed after her. Jima, Lucas and Dalora could do little but watch the other two wrestle on the ground.

Julland was frantic. The Turian understood exactly why Nalia wanted to do this. He'd certainly hate to die like that himself. However, some inexplicable part of him and the others did not want the Asari to blow her brains out. The Turian also realized that Nalia could at any moment cast him off with a biotic throw. After that, there would be no stopping her. Suddenly, their eyes locked and Julland saw her pupils change suddenly. Julland got lost in an Asari conscious joining.

The last time Nalia did this to him, he had seen visions from his own past. This time, they were different. Julland realized he was instead watching Nalia's own life. In essence, she was placing her very core of being into his own mind. It was a rapid and easy way for someone to get a sense of another's soul. A lot of the Turian's understandings on her was confirmed by the joining. It was the end that startled him. Nalia seemed to walk up to him and started explaining the current situation to him.

"And now you know that I must do this, so that I won't expose you all. I could only protect my crew and myself. Now, I must protect you and in a way...myself."

"But you can't do this. There is still a chance." Julland argued back.

"Ha, you know as well as I do that there isn't enough time."

"If you shoot your brains out, you'll get infected matter all over the room." Julland asserted.

"...But...I don't want to feel the pain...I've already felt enough for one life."

"Don't."

And suddenly, Julland's mind flipped back into his own volition. He hated the feeling of having his mind hijacked like that. Perhaps that was why other Asari did it less liberally as Nalia did. Come to think of it, why did Nalia end it so abruptly? Julland then realized that Nalia was in fact unconscious. Jima was standing over her with an empty syringe.

"That will knock her out for about an hour. I'm starting to feel like a bad doctor, constantly having to resort to the syringe like that." Jima sighed. The Quarian then reached into her medical case and brought a surgical mask over the Asari's mouth and nose.

"Just in case she coughs or sneeze. That should at least discourage the spread of the virus. So far, she's the only one that has it. She must have contracted it just before the door closed." Jima explained.

"How long till her symptoms kick in?" Julland asked.

"That's the mysterious part. Don't you notice something different about her?" Jima asked.

"She seems fine to me." Lucas observed.

"Exactly. Look at the hologram. All those Batarians are dead...except one." Jima trailed off. They all got a closer look at the one figure that seemed to be alive.

"He's highlighted in red, so the virus is active in him." Dalora stated.

"But he's still able to move around...and he's heading towards the mine entrance." Julland observed.

"We have to lock those doors." Jima said.

"Why?" Dalora asked.

"If he opens the mine doors, he'll expose the outside environment to another wave of Apollyon virus. Guess who's waiting right outside the entrance?" Jima reminded.

"The _Shiloh." _Julland growled.

"Julland, radio the _Shiloh_ and tell them to get everyone on board immediately. As soon as those mine doors open, they have to get out of here." Jima ordered, immediately started to negotiate with the terminals.

"Talana, this is Julland. We have a major problem in the mine. Get everyone on board the _Shiloh_, now!" the Turian yelled.

"Sir, yes sir. Calling all hands back on the ship." Talana responded.

"Now if those mine doors open, get out of here. We suspect someone infected with the virus may try to exit the mine any minute. You'll have to leave without us if they open." Julland explained.

"Roger that. Keep us posted." Talana replied.

Meanwhile, Jima furiously worked the controls. She needed to find a way to lock off the mine console so the infected Batarian could not open them. Suddenly, she stopped. She realized that the mine was in fact a modern development. There was no way the controls here would have any access to the mine entrance. Jima nearly kicked herself for being so stupid.

Defeated, they all watched the hologram as the last Batarian stumbled up towards the mine doors. The Batarian scrambled to the doors and in fact, ran right into them full force without stopping. Having nearly bashed his own brains out, the Batarian fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, having never even been able to get to the console.

"I don't know if I should be glad he never made it out, or feel very sorry for him." Dalora murmured as they watched the crimson red figure of the Batarian turn black in death. They glanced at Jima's status. She was still light blue, infected, but the virus had not gone active yet.

"Why is her virus taking so long to go active?" Lucas asked.

"Does it matter? The more time it goes without becoming active, the more time we have to figure out a way out of here." Dalora stated.

"Yes, and no. It does matter because it could be a different strain, or give us more clues on how Apollyon S3 operates. Yes, this strain is now S3. However, you are right, Dalora. We have more time, so lets use it wisely. Now, the terminals are fully translated into our language. You need to help me get as much information out of here as possible so we can hopefully find a cure or vaccine or something." Jima told them. They immediately got cracking.

Minutes turned into their first hour. Talana periodically checked up on them while the engineering team went back out to resume repairs. Nalia on the other hand received another dosage to keep her sedated. Trying to decipher the information was not as easy as they thought it was going to be. They could feel the temperature rising in the small control room and it was starting to demoralize all of them. Jima, being the doctor, remained determined. The others, however, were more or less at a loss on what to do. Dalora was the first to make a breakthrough.

"I was right, these ruins and viruses are the work of pre-Prothean beings. The files mention this was a type of top secret weapons facility. However, 'Sentient Machines' as the Reapers are referred to, started to devastate their civilization around them. That's why they developed these viruses." Dalora announced.

"It looks like the Protheans weren't the only ones who tried to fight back. These guys, whoever they were, wanted to leave a more devastating legacy." Julland stated.

"And since there was no way to test it on the Reapers, they must have decided to make as many different strains as possible to maximize their chance of success." Jima added.

"But if they were meant to destroy the Reapers, machines, why are they also devastating to organics?" Dalora asked.

"Maybe it was an unintended consequence." Lucas offered.

"I doubt it. Remember, they act differently in organics. That's because they're programmed to act differently. Therefore, they intend these to react in organics as well." Dalora argued.

"Maybe a way to take out the indoctrinated or use the indoctrinated to transfer the virus to the Reapers." Julland suggested.

"Possibly. I think I've found out why Nalia's virus isn't going active yet." Jima stated. They all glanced at the still unconscious form of Nalia, curled up in a corner of the room.

"Why?" Julland asked.

"It says here that some viruses were programmed to automatically detect other organisms by using onboard sensors and information taken from the host's central nervous system. Melting the host down would be postponed until all locally detected organisms would be infected." Jima announced.

"They can do that?" Dalora asked. The idea seemed very far fetched.

"Normal viruses can't do that, but remember, these viruses are in fact nanophages, microscopic robots." Jima reminded. They let the information sink in. The only reason Nalia was still alive was because the Apollyon S3 virus running in her wanted them dead too. It was not a pleasant thought.

"But this doesn't get us anywhere closer to finding a cure for the virus." Dalora announced.

"You're right...but we haven't found any information yet." Julland responded.

"All right, lets get back to work. There has to be something. If these things can be programmed to destroy, they must be a way to program them to inactivate." Jima stated hopefully.

They continued to work the terminals, mining all available data they could find. The work was becoming frustrating and despite the high stakes, they started to doze off. Nonetheless, they could not find the will to pull themselves away from the monitors. They stood there, halfheartedly looking for information. It was during this lull that Dalora whispered to Lucas who was working next to her.

"...About what happened on the Citadel...thanks for saving me...again." she hesitated. Lucas just nodded.

"If you're sulking about what I said, I'm sorry about that, too." she added sincerely.

"Don't think its going to make me change my mind." Lucas stated simply.

"Very well...but may I speak my mind?" Dalora asked.

"Nothing is stopping you." Lucas told her.

"Stop pretending like you have it all together when you're just as bad as the rest of us." Dalora scolded. He shot a look at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent. You're just as scared and torn as the rest of us. You want to do the right thing but you're scared to see yourself for who you are. You have so many walls up around your personal self, that's why you spend so much time working and philosophizing." Dalora accused.

"So I'm not allowed to be human?"

"I'm not saying that. Just don't tell me you only helping me with my nightmares out of the goodness of your heart, and refusing to have anything more between us by hiding behind the excuse you're not ready, when what you're really afraid of is a relationship and getting that close to someone. You are trying so hard to be noble, and that is admirable, but are you truly noble or just trying to play the part? Look, it's all fine and good that you don't want to hurt anyone, but in doing that, maybe you have. You've already hurt me and I'll move on. Don't hurt the next girl who takes a liking to you." Dalora stated. Lucas did not say anything. It was Jima who spoke up this time.

"I think I might be getting something..." They all looked at her.

"What is it?" Dalora asked.

"I'm not sure..." Jima answered.

"Let me bring it up on the hologram. The information is getting hard to process after all the years. Right now I only have the visual information." Jima explained.

On the hologram, a model of a single virus was displayed. Soon, another virus, clearly Apollyon but also slightly varied, a different strain, appeared next to it. Eventually, a whole collection of several Apollyon strains were being viewed. Then, each virus was shown to connect to each other or with a different protein. Eventually, the display zoomed out and showed something miraculous.

"...The viruses can form a DNA sequence?" Dalora asked.

"Yes...or as you saw, they can eventually be assimilated into a genome...other Apollyon viruses can be with others more in the same genome." Jima stated.

"What, that means Apollyon is its own cure?" Julland inquired. Suddenly, they heard Nalia gag from behind the surgical mask. A yellow foam was starting to bleed out from behind the cloth. Jima pushed the others aside and warned them not to follow her as she set Nalia on her side so she wouldn't choke in her sleep. After running a quick scan and changing the mask, she jabbed the Asari with another syringe, presumably to keep her sedated. That finished, Jima walked up to them.

"That foam is loaded with the virus. It wasn't spewed into the air, so as long as you stay away from her, you'll be fine." the Quarian warned them.

"Julland, you're idea of Apollyon curing itself, I don't think that's quite the right idea." Lucas stated.

"It was just a suggestion." the Turian defended.

"Right now we need to keep investigating. I only have two more syringes to keep her sedated. That means we have another two hours to figure out something. Once she awakes, she'll be hacking and coughing enough viruses to get us infected in minutes. Once the Apollyon virus figures that out, we'll all be dead." Jima snapped.


	32. Chapter 31

_The world was white. It was like getting lost in a cloud, except without the vapor. Somehow, she was perfectly suspended in this brilliant pearly light. She walk around, a bit dazed. It looked like you could have just fallen through the white, but somehow there was a floor. Otherwise, the white just went on for eternity. She decided she would just have to wait. It was the only practical thing to do._

_"This has got to be a dream..." she muttered to herself. _

_"So the unusual is passed off as insignificant?" a voice answered. She opened her eyes. _

_"Lucas...what are you wearing?" she asked, almost amused. _

_"Am I Lucas, or am I his grand sire? Am I his spirit or an avatar of him? Am I his guardian angel? Perhaps I am simply a dream, an accident of chemical enzymes flooding your currently virus besieged mind." the one who looked like Lucas told her with the wave of his hand. He wore long black robes with a white cross stitched into the front. A long, deadly blade hung at his waist while a black hood was pulled over the top of his head, nearly hiding his face. _

_"This has got to be a dream...or a symptom of the virus." she told herself. The one in black robes seemed offended. _

_"Lately, the generations that have passed have been skeptical. They do not like the unknown and try to pass them off as irrational or soon to be discovered, as if thinking that everything could be explained. They convinced themselves that science and machinery would conquer everything." the one who looked like Lucas told her. Her eyes suddenly shot open in surprise at what he was saying._

_"You mean to tell me...I'm dead? This is the afterlife?" _

_"You're far from death and yet so close, Nalia D'sara." he answered, walking circles around her._

_"Stand still, who are you? What are you?" _

_"Call me Lucas if you want, you already seem set on calling me that anyway. Visually, I'm what a human would recognize as an ancient Hospitaller crusader. But really, what am I? Am I a dream, a vision as you say I am? Perhaps I'm a stray enzyme messing with one of your synapses or perhaps an Apollyon virus hijacking a neural transmitter. Maybe I'm just that lunch ration you knew you shouldn't have eaten before you left. Could I be a shade, an angel sent to guide you or a demon to beguile you?" the Hospitaller shrugged. Nalia clutched her head. _

_"Holy crap, now I know you are Lucas. Can't you just give me a straight answer?" Nalia demanded. _

_"What is a straight answer? So many cultures these days want a quick fix answer when really there may be none. Did it ever occur to you that you are in a realm where answers you were used to no longer mean anything?" _

_"So I really am dead." Nalia whispered sadly. _

_"Are you sure? Perhaps this is your mind short circuiting before death, a massive release of chemicals. Perhaps this is your subconscious going nuts. Maybe you really are nuts. Maybe you've crossed into another realm of reality. Are you with the spirits?" _

_"With you carrying on like this, I really don't know." Nalia said, sitting down on...well, just sitting down in the white. _

_"The one you knew as Lucas would say that the wise writers of the Holy Scriptures he read would say that the wisdom of men is foolishness compared to a God that could never be fully grasped. Tell me Nalia, are we jesters, everyone being a fool?" the Hospitaller asked. _

_"I'd sure hope not. I know there were a few things we could know for sure." Nalia replied. _

_"Indeed. But the wise sage and the idiotic fool both end up in the same place, now do they?" _

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"They are one in the grave." _

_"Now I'm sure I'm dead since you keep saying that." _

_"I wouldn't say so, not yet, though you are close. If you don't like my opinion, ask what she thinks." the Hospitaller pointed towards her side. Nalia followed the direction he indicated. She immediately stood up. _

_"Mother?" Nalia asked softly. _

_"Nalia...you're here." _

_"So...I really...I really did die...so there really is an afterlife..." Nalia whimpered. She started to tremble uncontrollably and felt her mother holding her tightly in an embrace. The Hospitaller meanwhile was still walking in a slow circle around them. _

_"Are you sure?" he asked. _

_"Please, stop that." Nalia pleaded, feeling tears starting to fall from her cheeks. _

_"In my time, there were two great churches that prayed to the same Lord. The one I was not under believed that you must always have an unknown, for what is your faith if you know everything." The Hospitaller said. _

_"Why are you telling me this?" Nalia asked._

_"Ask her." he motioned towards her mother. _

_"Why is he doing this?" Nalia whimpered. _

_"So that you might understand that some things in life can not be explained. Maybe they ultimately can, maybe they can't. There won't be an an easy answer for this one, and that is not the most constructive way go about this." her mother whispered to her soothingly._

_"So what am I suppose to do?" Nalia whined, feeling like a helpless little girl again. Her mother helped her sit down and took a seat next to her. _

_"Tell me, my daughter...how did you get here?"_

* * *

Now, there really was nothing left for Julland, Lucas and Dalora to do but sit and wait. They could not help the Quarian doctor as only she had an idea of where to go from here. If they tried to help, they would only get in the way. The worse thing in the world, especially when facing a highly destructive virus lurking in the same room as you were, was waiting for the possible synthesis of a cure. Julland especially wondered if they were kidding themselves. These things take years of development and research. Were they really to suspect that Jima could find the cure in the next few hours? However, the Quarian doctor remain insistent. They had found machinery in the room that could synthesize enzymes and anti-bodies, it was just a matter of finding or engineering _the_ right antibody. Julland started to realize the feeling of a pistol barrel planted next to the skull was starting to become very appealing, indeed. The Turian glanced over at Nalia who was still in a sorry state. Perhaps not as bad as she could be in, considering the rages of Apollyon, but lying so still like that...oh the bad memories...

Julland started to tremble violently. Those memories. That battle. When he had fought in the Turian military, he had helped conduct a raid on a Turian outpost that got hammered by raiders. Dead civilians were lying all around him. They did not need to die, and yet there they were, their organs and brains laying all over the streets. He had gotten pinned down down in a crater with those dead civilians everywhere. He had been stuck there for hours, staring into their empty eyes. Dead innocents everywhere. The one thing he could not get used to.

Julland was shaking. He needed to do something. The Turian stepped up and started to pace the ground. He was beyond restless and fidgety at this point.

"Julland, sit down, you're starting to bother me." Jima told him.

"I...can't." Julland growled. Jima looked at him.

"Julland, you will sit down so I can concentrate." Jima asserted. Julland suddenly exploded.

"I can't stand being in a hospital! I can't stand lying with the dead all around me for so long! I can blow them up, but don't ask me to guard them or sit with them! Do not ask me to sit with them!" Julland screamed. Jima placed a paw on the very agitated Turian's shoulder. She said only one thing to him.

"The tranquilizers are not for you. I'm sorry for doing this." Jima told him.

"What are you blasted talking about?" Julland spat. Suddenly, he fell on the ground, stiff as a board. Jima sighed.

"Now I really feel like a bad doctor..." the Quarian stated as she got back to the computer terminal.

"What did you do to him?" Lucas screeched, clearly alarmed.

"Don't worry, it's a natural physical reaction in Turians. If you hit the right neural point on a Turian and maintain pressure, they'll go into something similar to being in a state of suspended animation." Jima explained.

"That's interesting." Dalora stated.

"Don't try it though, you really need to know what you're doing." Jima warned, before getting back to her work. They all sat in silence again.

Dalora sat alone in her thoughts. To be honest, she was scared out of her wits. So many times she thought about being shot up, killed in a blast or some other space accident. Never did she think about dying by a medical disease. Diseases just did not kill as often as they did these days, not with the advances of medical technology. Sure, sicknesses could provide very long times of very painful discomfort, and sometimes left long lasting scars or weaknesses, but even the least equipped of space raiders could deal with most medical problems that might arise. Apollyon was different; it was so alien. It was a virus that seemed to think, weigh its chances, even analyze its host. It butchered its victims in the most heinous ways. Dalora realized that although there were times she longed for death to put her out of this existence of raiding, killing for hire and never finding someone who gave a darn about her, it really did matter on how she was going to die. She looked over at what Lucas was doing.

Lucas was just as silent. Dalora wondered if he was still sulking from her telling him off. Suddenly, she noticed the rosary he had in his hand. He was meditating. Perhaps a good way to maintain one's sanity in this situation.

"You know, you never showed me how those things work." Dalora whispered to him. Lucas said nothing.

"Will you stop being mad at me. You've helped me, now I'm trying to help you." Dalora snapped. Lucas raised an eyebrow at her before staring into space again. Wait, was that a...smile?

"You start at the cross here" Lucas informed, placing the rosary in her hand and pointing at the small cross.

"What do you do?"

"You recite the creed. The cross represents the Apostle's creed of the Christian Church. Each bead is a prayer or something to be meditated upon. Altogether, it's suppose to become a meditative chant if you do it right." Lucas explained.

"I don't know the creed." Dalora admitted.

"Haha, all right, I'll teach you. Despite all the fractures the Christian Church has gone through, at least nearly all the different sects were able to agree on the creed. Repeat after me..." After a few minutes, she was finally able to get it down.

"There's no way I'm going to remember all of this." Dalora stated, realizing she only got the creed down. There were a whole lot more beads to do.

"Don't expect to get it all down in one night." Lucas chuckled. It was at that moment that Julland suddenly stirred. They glanced cautiously at the Turian, hoping he was in his right mind again. He sat up and seemed to gather his surroundings.

"I apologize for what happened back there..." Julland stated sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." Jima answered without looking up from her console.

"There was a reason I said I could not get used to dead innocents." the Turian said softly. Any further conversation was suddenly interrupted. Nalia was going into a seizure.


	33. Chapter 32

The Quarian stood up after Nalia had stabilized. There was not much she could do in the first place other than minimize any further damage the Asari might do to them and herself. Wearily, Jima walked up to the others who looked fairly frightened by the experience.

"She's still alive?" Julland asked.

"Yes...I'm surprise the virus isn't tearing her apart. The virus must know it still hasn't gotten us yet, so it's keeping her alive while getting as creative as it can in trying to spread it somehow." Jima suggested.

"You make it sound like its alive." Dalora said.

"This isn't a normal virus. It behaves like a virus, but in the end, it is simply a miniature robot following what it was programmed to do." Jima stated.

"I still wonder what the computer meant when it showed those viruses forming a genome." Lucas murmured.

"Maybe if I can figure that out, it'll point me towards a cure." Jima speculated.

"What if there is no cure? Plenty of viruses don't have a cure or treatment. This could be one of them." Julland grumbled.

"I'm not giving up yet. We have to find something, there's no such thing as a perfect disease. Just close candidates." Jima asserted, attacking the terminals again.

"You sure that's not just the doctor in you talking?" Julland retorted.

"Let me tell you a thing or two about Quarian doctors. Most other doctors take a vow to heal and to do no harm. Quarian's take a different, if slightly similar oath." Jima stated.

"What's that?" Lucas asked.

"Basically, to do that others may live. In practice, Quarians have no problem knocking out a few patients that other doctors would consider unnecessary and cruel, just so that all might be saved." Jima stated.

"So that's why you knocked me out." Julland murmured.

"Yes. We don't like to do it, and we keep it for extreme situations. Medical disasters on the Flotilla are never pretty. If the worse comes, we will try to work so that the the greater whole might live."

"Jima, did you ever think that maybe the greater whole here is just to tell the _Shiloh_ to get out of here and we just accept our fate?" Julland suggested. Jima shot a look at him.

"The worse hasn't come. We're not done yet." Jima hissed. Suddenly, their comm links went off.

"This is the _Shiloh_. I hope you guys are wrapping it up in there. We have several Geth dropships approaching. I don't think we'll be able to hold them off." Talana announced.

"When do you suspect they'll arrive?" Julland asked. Dolphos answered this time.

"This one estimates in fifteen minutes." Dolphos answered. The Turian growled.

"What do we do?"

"Tell them to standby Julland. Give me ten minutes to find something, anything." Jima stated, starting to download the entire database into her omni-tool while searching for something useful for the present situation. Julland meanwhile told the _Shiloh_ to hold up. Meanwhile, Lucas sighed.

"It's like what they said back at home..." Lucas murmured.

"What's that?" Dalora asked.

"_Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei." _

"What...?"

"All things have an end, except sausage, which has two." Lucas translated. Dalora grimaced uncomfortably.

"Not exactly uplifting?" Lucas asked.

"That, and I hate sausage."

* * *

_Nalia quietly weeped onto her mother's shoulder who held her firmly. The old Matriarch spoke softly to her. _

_"You were once the most shining priestess of our order. Now your friends tell you that you have no respect or diplomacy. Why are you this way?" _

_"Mother, you know I was kind and gentle back when I served under you." _

_"Yes, yes you were. Many said that simply your touch could sooth a hurt soul." _

_"Mother, you know I grew tired of that. I wanted to see what it was like on the other side." Nalia told her. _

_"And what did you find?" _

_"It is corrupt and terrible. You will find those who degrade you and treat you like commodities, easily expendable, and there are others still who will treat you like nothing, just another thing to be dealt with." Nalia answered. _

_"And aren't you now doing the same thing?" her mother asked. _

_"Perhaps, but I've find its the only way of acting that produce results in most of the galaxy. The way we tried it was slow, it did not get them to move. At least this way of slapping them across the face makes them move in a hurry." Nalia defended._

_"Yes...but it's all they've known. No one has shown them another way." _

_"Well, I am not the one to show them that. People like Lucas and Julland can do that." _

_"But there are already so few." her mother reminded. _

_"Look, I regret nothing. I got a few bruises, and maybe I did a bunch of wrong things, but now I'm working to do the right ones...even if I am a little harsh." Nalia stated. _

_"Just remember my little one, that there is nothing below your respect." her mother stated firmly._

_"All right...I'll try to remember that." _

_"Very well...now I must leave." the old Matriarch got up and before Nalia could stop her, she was gone in an instant. Only the knight in the black robes with the white cross remained. _

_"Why did she go?" Nalia asked. _

_"Things are changing." the Hospitaller simply stated. _

_"What? Why did she have to leave?" _

_"I can only tell you this now. It is going to get very dark." _

_"So I really am dying...you're telling me that I am to be judged now?" Nalia asked. _

_"Your body, mind and soul are all going to be thrown to their limits, maybe even shattered. When you awake, where will you be?" _

_"...I don't know. How am I suppose to know?" _

_"There is a reason it was written that faith is the evidence of things not seen." _

_"So I'm suppose to hope now?" _

_"What you believe is what you decide." _

_"That doesn't help." Nalia snapped. _

_"At this point...it's beyond you." the Hospitaller answered cryptically. _

_"No, you think?" Nalia growled sarcastically. _

_"I wasn't talking about your understanding." _

_"Then what were you talking about?" _

_"This." The Hospitaller answered before everything, absolutely everything, went very inky black._

* * *

"You have five minutes, Jima." Julland warned the Quarian.

"Good, cause I think I found us a way out of here." the doctor announced, a ring in her voice. They all immediately crowed around the terminal.

"The scientists who created these noticed something. The viruses are very susceptible to element zero masses so long as they are not in a spore and in the open environment. So obviously, opening a singularity rift will not rip the viruses out of a body. However, if those viruses out there have not closed themselves into a spore, Dalora could probably open a rift that would move the virus particles out of our way." Jima reported.

"Kind of like how rocks and dust also get caught up in my biotic rifts when I use them?" Dalora asked.

"Exactly." Jima answered.

"Well, its the only chance we get because we only have four minutes left." Julland stated.

"What about Nalia?" Lucas asked. They all glanced at her.

"We're not leaving her behind." the infiltrator stated.

"She would have done the same if any of us were in the same place." Dalora reminded.

"That's why she's not making this decision." Lucas asserted. With that, the lieutenant started to walk towards the unconscious Asari. Jima stopped him.

"I completely agree, but in this environmental suit, I am less likely to catch the infection than you. I will carry her." Jima stated.

"All right, suit up. We don't have a lot of time." Julland warned. They immediately pulled on their helmets and activated their respiration systems. If Dalora's biotics did not work, the virus very well could get into the air filtration systems and from there pass on into their lungs. No one wanted to be reminded of that fact.

"Are we ready?" the Turian asked. Everyone nodded, even Jima, who had wrestled Nalia's own helmet back on.

"Let _Shiloh_ know that we're about to have a very sick Asari on board. I want everyone to keep their distance when I come in and the medical bay cleared." Jima ordered.

"You got it, doc. I'll let them know." Julland stated. Before he could start his sentence, the comm link interrupted him.

"This is the _Shiloh, _I really hope you guys are moving back up. The Geth are showing up just over the horizon." Talana warned. Julland muttered something in the Turian language.

"Dalora, fire up your biotics in the next room. Let's hope this works." Jima ordered. Dalora quickly nodded before closing her eyes. A vein popped out on her head as she worked up the strongest singularity rift she could muster. Julland, Jima and Lucas kept apprehensive eyes on the hologram.

* * *

Two Salarian engineers' eyebrows immediately shot up at what they just heard. They had been working with most of the engineering crew on fixing up the _Shiloh's_ hull when the Geth dropships arrived, two landing on either side of the grounded frigate. The ships immediately started depositing Geth soldiers, all firing madly at the _Shiloh_. That, however, was not what caught their attention. It was the reaction of their chief engineer. Apparently, Merjj was belting off a series of Salarian curses, some that not even the Salarians knew existed before. It also became pretty clear that Merjj could also conjugate Salarian curses quite fluently. The enraged chief engineer tapped furiously on his omni-tool, hacking into a Geth armature, which immediately started wrecking havoc on its own lines. Pleased with his work, the Salarian radioed to the bridge.

"This is Merjj. What's the stats on the kinetic barriers?" Merjj asked.

"They've only punched it down to eighty percent. We're not worried yet." Talana announced.

"Yeah, you know why? They're firing on the mine shaft, trying to cave in the entrance. You better start opening up the turrets because if you don't, we'll lose our comrades and then the entire Geth line is going to be firing on us!" Merjj screamed.

"Well, hurry up and get your men inside!" Talana shouted back.

* * *

"It works!" Jima cried in triumph. Sure enough, on the hologram, all the areas of infected light blue were drawn towards the single singularity field Dalora created. The hallway outside of them and up the shaft was clear, except for the far right. They would have to pass through on the left.

"All right, let's get out of here!" Julland shouted. No one needed a second bidding.

The doors flung open as Julland led the way. They could not help but stare at the element zero mass. Normally blue, this field was now completely black with the virus particles as well as the twelve bodies of the Batarians. It was a rather distressing sight. Fortunately, they did not have time to gawk.

"Come on, move before the field dissipates!" Lucas yelled.

They charged through the halls as fast as their legs could carry them. They started to feel the mine shaft rumble, and gathered it was because of the attack the Geth were most certainly launching. Talana buzzed their comm.

"Away team, you better hurry. The Geth nearly have toppled the rocks over the mine. You will be trapped if you don't get out of there pronto." Talana warned. They ran further. Behind them, the element zero mass started to wane. Lucas, who was bringing up the rear, noticed it. He ground his teeth.

The mine door opened to a shower of rocks and dust. There was no time to think as they just ran right through the collapsing cascade of debris. Relief was an understatement when the mine doors closed before the singularity field died out. Now it was a matter of running the several hundred yards between the shaft and the _Shiloh_ again. This was starting to look very familiar.

Julland remained calm under fire. He was back in his element. The Turian soldier and field commander within him would never die. Standing boldly up, his assault rifle blazing, the Turian nearly laughed in the face of the Geth soldiers. Live or die, this Turian soldier would never fall for good, Julland Sarrix was sure of that.

Jima did not know fear. Her only thought was to get Nalia back on the _Shiloh_, her home and her namesake. The very creatures her ancestors had created, the ones that had driven them from their home world, now threatened her own home once again. However, life, not death, was her occupation. The Quarian ignored the bullets flying past her, the ones that stormed so close to her armor, and told her burning knees to keep moving. She had to do this. Even if Nalia was not the easiest person to get along with, even if she was unrefined, Jima needed to save her life. Maybe Nalia didn't deserve it. Then again, the doctor wondered who did deserve life. The sick over her shoulder, a symbol for all her work was focused on, Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh determinedly carried her cross.

Dalora had had enough. Over the course of a few days she had been shot at, her affections squashed, and old demons were confronted and killed. That also did not include dodging nuclear weapons and an ancient virus to boot. The last thing she wanted to deal with was more Geth. All along the gauntlet of fire, numerous Geth soldiers were thrown, lifted and warped with great ferocity as the biotic mercenary unleashed her anger. In her life, her old master had always kept her down. The master was dead now and the student moved on. Dalora Algre had graduated.

Lucas had his mind still going, as he always did. Whether in the quiet halls of a holy place or in the noise of the battlefield, his mind never stopped. He had plenty of things to think on now, both on what he had seen and what he had heard. Perhaps there was a side to him he needed to come to grips with, that one part that he had ignored for so long. Indeed, what virtue was there to living in the past? What would his future hold? What needed to be done now in the present? Lucas watched over those in front of him. Each was a dear friend, each someone he would willingly lay down his life like he had done once before. He was given a second chance at life. Lucas Von Seraph thought how many more lives he would have to save, how many more he would have to touch, starting with these four. His rifle spat orange in the burning air.

The _Shiloh_ gathered its missing children. In the miracle of life and death, one was fast approaching the end of life, the others were amazingly not harmed. Those things could not be dealt with now. The frigate closed its hatchway doors and fired its engines. Leaving without a scratch from the Geth fire, the _Shiloh_ shot off of Jartar and left the system of Dis and left behind the cities of hell.


	34. Chapter 33

The _Shiloh_ stopped short of the Hades Gamma relay, coming to a complete halt some distance from the massive structure. Unseen to the outside world, the remaining leadership and crew held a quick discussion. Dolphos, being the one with all the information, pointed out that they were still as a technicality, a renegade ship wanted by the law. The astute Hanar also pointed out that along with being wanted ship thieves, they also technically were holding a certain Dvoran Avalar hostage. No one needed to be reminded of the ramifications of holding a Spectre hostage.

Another problem was that Apollyon S3, so far the most crafty if not frightening Apollyon strain known, was alive and well on the ship. Although, Jima was able to keep the body of Nalia relatively isolated with little chance of the virus spreading, it was still very much active in the barely alive Asari. It only took one wrong move and Apollyon could start a very quick meltdown. Besides, even if the situation was under control, the simple mention of Apollyon on board and no one would want to touch the _Shiloh_ with a lightyear long pole. That being decided, the _Shiloh_ remained stationary in space. The only hint of life was a single automated signal being sent from the vessel. It was the official, though rarely heard, transmission sequence of a space vessel under quarantine.

Julland quietly took a seat next to the navigator's chair on the bridge. Talana glanced back at him. The Turian did not seem all that much in a pleasant mood. The Asari decided to ask him.

"Julland, you don't look happy." Talana said quietly. Julland looked at her from the corner of his eye before mindlessly staring at the readings in front of him.

"I don't know...I just don't like people I know lying nearly dead in a medical bay...or lying around for that matter." Julland explained.

"You're not alone. None of us likes that Nalia is deathly ill." Talana consoled.

"That's the thing about war. You survive, but its not like nothing ever happened. I can't stand walking through a hospital with all those people lying in bed. I nearly flipped out on a nurse one time when I had to get a citizen to the hospital." Julland stated with a weak chuckle.

"I'm sorry..."

"Eh...not your fault. I just...Nalia..." Julland trailed off.

"You're worried if she'll make it or not?" Talana asked.

"Well...it's Apollyon. We all know that most likely...but at the same time..." Julland gave a quick pound on the console with a fisted paw out of frustration.

"Julland, don't worry. It's all going to be okay."

"You're starting to sound like Lucas."

"Well, what can you do? Being a pessimist isn't going to help." Talana pointed out.

"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist." Julland argued.

"True...but would you call Nalia a realist?" Talana smiled. Julland could not help but gave a wry smile.

"No...she's not a realist at all. She's insane."

Lucas wearily stared out of the canopy of his fightercraft. With nothing better to do, the fighter pilot had taken his ship out of the _Shiloh_ bay and was flying a protective patrol around the ship. At least, that was what it was suppose to look like. In reality, he was barely glancing at his ship's radar. No one was really being sociable on the _Shiloh_, not even he much felt talking. Julland, Dolphos and Talana were always on the bridge keeping to themselves. Merjj and the men in engineering busied themselves with tweaking at the various components on the ship since the engine wasn't running. They didn't seem to want to talk either. Jima had pretty much locked herself in the medical bay and would not show herself. She did not even let anyone visit to check up on Nalia. Meanwhile, Dalora had crawled up in a corner somewhere in the cargo hold and passed out. She did not like the sleeper pods for some reason and preferred the cargo hold with all the machine equipment along with the Mako and his fightercraft.

She indeed had given him a lot to think about. He wondered if he did come across as insincere sometimes. He had spent a lot of time helping others and did make it into a kind of "job" so perhaps she was right. It also didn't help that he did not want to get that close to someone. Sure, being friends was great. But more than that? No, he had seen that mess up too many people. Screw that adage about it being better to love and have lost than never to have loved at all.

Then again, why did the thought of Dalora bother him so much? Heck, why did she keep coming up anyway? "_This is frustrating." _Lucas growled to himself and threw his ship into a rough barrel roll.

_"What is this? Something is wrong..." _The timing was all off. He knew every little movement of his ship and something was amiss. The sensitivity of his joystick, the lateral thrusters and auxiliary movement ports...they were all behaving slightly differently. Even his engine's acceleration and brake reaction was increased.

_"No...I've been away from my fighter for longer periods and still remembered exactly how everything worked before. I am most certainly not getting old...wait a minute...when was the last time I did a check on everything?_" Lucas suddenly remembered who was the last person work on his ship.

_"Gosh darn it...that girl is everywhere. No wonder she keeps popping up in my mind._"

Lucas returned to the _Shiloh_ and carefully landed the fighter in place. After everything was taken care of and he was sure his fighter was properly secured, he decided he would go find Dalora and see if she was awake. He had to talk to her. _"Confession is good for the soul, and if I confess one more time that I am not changing my mind, that I care, but I will not consider a relationship, then we'll be clear." _The infiltrator thought confidently.

_"Are you sure, or are you just trying to convince yourself of that?" _Lucas wagged his head, trying to shut off the traitorous doubting thought.

_"Why are you so set on not being in a relationship anyway? Because I don't want to get hurt, of course. I've never considered it in my life, and I'm not going to start considering it now." _Lucas determinedly walked forward, certain he had won the mental brawl.

_"Don't you think that's a little selfish?" _

_"It takes two to tango." _

_"But what about her?" _

_"She can find someone else"_

_"You'd trust someone else with her?" _

_"If he was okay." _

_"So you don't think you're okay?" _

_"Look, I am not going to argue with myself. I will not consider this, and that is final!" _

The lieutenant had just finished the mental debate when he heard a cough. It sent chills down his spine. The fidgety soldier nearly dived behind a crate. Darn virus. Never before did a sneeze or a cough was a noise to be dreaded more than a enemy missile lock alarm. Lucas sheepishly, if cautiously, walked back out from his hiding spot. He heard a groan. It sounded like Dalora. He followed the noises of misery.

"Dalora?" Lucas asked. He found her curled up in a ball in a corner.

"You all right? You might get overlooked back here. What's wrong?" Lucas asked. Dalora looked up at him with bloodshot eyes before sneezing this time. Lucas backed off as if trying to avoid a shotgun blast.

"I don't feel so good..." Dalora mumbled, she sounded stuffy. Lucas felt her forehead.

"You're slightly warm, but nothing bad. You have a cough too?"

"Yes..." Dalora said, sounding very clogged now. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle.

"You have a cold."

"But I don't feel cold."

"No, a cold. It's a common illness back on Earth. Not so common out here in space. Since you grew up on ships all your life, you probably didn't get it too much." Lucas speculated.

"But I haven't been to Earth at all. How did I get this cold then?" Dalora asked miserably. Lucas smiled with apologetic eyes.

"I'm from Earth..." Lucas stated cryptically.

"You mean to tell me I got this from you?" Dalora asked.

"I don't see any other explanation." Lucas stated. Dalora groaned.

"The last thing I want is to share sicknesses with you."

"Hold on, I'll be right back." Lucas stated.

Within a few moments, Lucas was back with two blankets as well as two hot drinks. One blanket was for a makeshift bed while the other Dalora drew around herself before starting to shiver. Lucas handed her a mug.

"This isn't coffee." Dalora mumbled. She had a taste for coffee.

"I can't prove it but I think coffee only encourages the virus within your system. That's out of intuition. I found tea a lot more useful for a cold." Lucas told her. Dalora took a sip of the fluid, slightly bitter, though with more than a hint of lemon. At least the latter did seem to sooth her throat.

"Chai as usual for you?" Dalora asked.

"Yeah...not exactly native to Germany or PanEurope, but I like it just the same."

"I see..." Dalora murmured. Lucas hesitated a moment before taking a seat next to her.

"I guess I'll keep you company for awhile." Lucas muttered. Dalora looked at him.

"Well, this was awfully considerate of you."

"Do not withhold good from your neighbor when it is in your hand to give it." Lucas muttered.

"So you're doing this just because you feel you have to, or because you really care?" Dalora asked. Lucas shot a mildly frustrated look at her.

"Could we not pick apart my motives for once and just accept it?" Lucas pleaded.

"Fine, fine..." Dalora relented. They both sipped their drinks.

"I did want to say thanks for working on my ship...I like what you did." Lucas admitted.

"You're welcome." Dalora answered before resting her head on his shoulder. Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

"Dalora, what are you-"

"If you don't let a sick girl rest on you when she's tired, you are not a gentlemen and you have no soul." Dalora stated with only a hint of sarcasm.

"Fine..." Lucas relented. He glanced down at her slightly messy brown hair. Lucas sighed with the involuntary thought that went up his brain stem. _"She looks so cute when she's content." _

"Something wrong?" Dalora asked, still leaning into him.

"Yes...we need to talk." Lucas stated.

"Again?"

"Yes..."

"All right...about what?" Dalora asked earnestly. _"Okay, steady here Lucas...don't hurt her again." _

"There's a saying back at home. _Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst._" Lucas recited.

"Do you get some gratification for saying things that are completely unintelligible?"

"It means 'To begin is easy. To persist is art.'" Lucas explained.

"So what are you saying?" Dalora asked. Lucas sighed and drew in a deep breath.

"Fine, fine. You're right!" Lucas suddenly blurted. Dalora stared at him in surprise. Lucas kept going.

"Maybe I am scared to let down a few personal walls and maybe I don't like seeing some of my dark sides. Ever since after I got nuked in that bomb on Feros and after all that's happen with Apollyon, I've started to realize what's important in my life. You've been pretty persistent about me. I guess you really do care and you're honest enough to point out my faults while being nice about it and show that you care. I'd be crazy to pass up a girl like you." Lucas admitted.

"Okay, two things." Dalora started.

"What?"

"One, you look cute when you're frustrated."

"Hey!"

"Two-" Dalora, despite the haze of her cold, smacked Lucas across the face.

"What was that for?" Lucas demanded, irritably rubbing the slight red mark on his cheek.

"For someone who was a student of the study of God or whatever you called it, a combat pilot and special forces soldier, for a person that's pretty bright, you're pretty stupid. It took a nuclear bomb and a biological weapon to wake you up? Most guys would've caught on quicker." Dalora stated.

"Well, I'm not like most guys." Lucas defended.

"In some ways that's a relief." Dalora rolled her eyes.

"Whatever that's suppose to mean." Lucas grumbled malcontentedly.

"So...this means you've reconsidered? We can get back on track to a close relationship?" Dalora asked.

"Not so fast. I'd rather we just be friends for now, but I won't sandbag you. I do want to get to know you better than just as a friend...and good ship mechanic." Lucas smirked. Before Lucas could react, Dalora drew him in a hug.

"Whoa, hey, what did I say about not going fast here?" Lucas protested.

"Oh hush, you know you like it." Dalora retorted. Lucas relaxed slightly while secretly rolling his eyes. She was right. Suddenly, Dalora sneezed. A moment passed before Lucas heard her sniffling.

"Lucas, honey-"

"Dalora, it's too early in our highly complicated friendship/semi-relationship to be giving me pet names."

"All right, but...please don't be mad...and please don't look at your shoulder..."

"...Oh gosh, that's disgusting..." Lucas groaned.

"Sorry..." Dalora apologized.

Jima glanced over at the medical table next to her. The Quarian had immediately hooked up tubes into Nalia's circulatory system so that no matter what happened, she could channel in nutrients or medication. Antiviral medication only seemed to temporarily hamper the Apollyon virus. Anticipating anything that might occur, Jima had Nalia restrained and taken care of in the event of another seizure. The Asari was also put in a tank, similar to the one that held Lucas when he was undergoing recovery. A respirator system was put into place with special devices to dispose of the virus should she cough or vomit. In the end, Jima's preparations helped since several more seizures wracked the Asari Spectre. However, after twelve hours since their return to the _Shiloh_, the Apollyon S3 strain in Nalia went active.

Jima wracked her mind to improvise and think of some kind of treatment for what seemed to be a death sentence. Understanding what the procedure did, Jima had Nalia bathed in the same medi-gel/nanite solution that was used to treat Lucas. She hoped that the medi-gel would help prevent hemorrhaging while the nanites would combat the virus' war on the genetic material of the cells. Her results were so-so.

Nalia's vital signs, although low, were stable. Anything that looked good ended there. Jima removed the protective medical covering that hid the patient from view while they soaked in the solution. The Quarian cried out in alarm and dismay.

Nalia was a patchwork of healthy, blue Asari skin and blackened, gray, diseased flesh. It looked like part of her jawbone had been exposed while parts of her skin seemed to sag in some areas where the connective tissue had been dissolved. The nanite solution looked even worse, blacked with spent nanites and Apollyon viruses as well as vile bodily fluids. Upset but determined, Jima had no choice but to circulate the nanite solution, disposing of the spent fluid and pumping in fresh nanites. It was not a pleasant thing to watch.

In the meantime, the Quarian worked around the clock to try and unravel the mystery of solving what the model meant when it showed the viruses forming a DNA sequence. She hunted for any mention of a cure or treatment, anything that might buy her more time so Nalia could be treated. The desperate Quarian doctor instead turned up nothing. Not even a single shred of hope.

They were in their third day drifting when Jima heard persistent rapping on the medical bay door. The doctor did not feel like arguing with anyone, so she simply ignored them. Unfortunately, the knocking persisted. Jima stuck to her guns and ignored them. Finally, she heard a voice. It was Lucas.

"Come on, doc. You can't stay there the whole time. Besides, it was Julland who pulled rank, even though he's no longer in the military, and ordered me to check on you. The Turian said he could not stand to see her in this situation, but decided to send me instead. You got to let me in, doctor." Lucas explained. Wearily, Jima unlocked the console and let Lucas quickly walk in.

"How's she doing, Jima?" Lucas asked quietly once he got inside. Jima shook her head. Despite the fact that her face was hidden behind a visor, Lucas could tell by her body language that she was absolutely dejected.

"It's not good, Lieutenant..." Jima sighed.

"How bad?"

"Look at her vital signs." Jima pointed halfheartedly with her finger. Lucas grimaced painfully at the readings. The heart monitor was extremely weak. The blood pressure was terrible and the brainwaves barely registered activity.

"How is she still alive?" Lucas asked.

"Anyone would ask the same question if I showed you what she looks like from the outside and what her insides look like." Jima stated.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. To be honest, over eighty percent of her body is now severely damaged by the virus. We're not just talking skin here, we're talking her organs, blood, everything. I swear, I wonder if she's just a semi-liquid body and if I ordered the machine to drain the liquid if half her body would go with the fluids too.

"That's...awful." Lucas mustered himself to say. At this point, he thought "awful" was a extreme understatement.

"Right now, I think it's the nanite bath that's keeping her alive. However, I only have three more batches of that stuff. When they run out, she's good as gone."


	35. Chapter 34

Another day had passed. A batch had been used up. Jima was determined to get the most out of the one she had just transplanted in and work to find an answer. She spent hours studying the genome and trying to decipher the few jumbled words that the program could translate. The rest of the data had corrupted after so many years, longer than even the Protheans were around. It was a miracle any of this information had survived. Tired, disheartened and starting to feel like a lousy doctor, especially after all those non-consented injections, Jima simply slumped and let her head bang into the console. Apparently, she had also developed a sensitivity to pain under the fatigue and strained emotions because she immediately started to weep when her head crashed into her visor. She decided to let the bitterness and helplessness flow out with the water coming from her eyes. It helped, but only a little. Somehow, spent tears did not completely drain devastated emotions. It also only proved to fog up the visor as well. Jima realized that under different circumstances, she would be laughing at this, at least the clogged visor, anyway.

"Jima, are you all right?" Jima heard a voice asked. She slowly looked up. Somehow, through the really bad condensation on her lenses, she figured out it was Dalora.

"Miss Algre...what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you and Nalia...plus I'm just starting to get out of a really bad cold and I wondered if you had anything for sore throats. I'm getting sick of tea." Dalora explained.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I don't have anything...I've just been really-"

"Jima, don't worry about it. It seems like you're the one who needs help more than anyone around here...well...besides Nalia." Dalora shushed, giving the Quarian a comforting hug. Jima felt herself losing it again.

"I've done everything I can, Dalora, and she's not getting better. I haven't had too many people die under my care...only about two or three I think...and they were old. I don't want Nalia of all people to die..." Jima whimpered.

"If you've done all you can, you can't blame yourself if anything happens." Dalora answered soothingly.

"I know...but there's got to be an answer somewhere in here!" Jima cried in frustration and distraught, waving at the hologram files.

"It's okay, Jima...no one is blaming you...we all believe you are doing what you can."

"...Thanks..." Jima sulked. Dalora continued to stroke the unhappy doctor.

"Hey, you know what Lucas told me?" Dalora asked.

"What?"

"Did you know that _Shiloh_ is actually a really old human word, I think he said 'Hebrew,' that meant 'Peace?'" Dalora asked.

"...No, I didn't know that." Jima stated quietly.

"Well, I just think it's really neat how the ship really means 'peace' and since you're a Quarian, and you take on the name of the ship you sign onto, your name also means 'peace.'" Dalora stated.

"...That is interesting." Jima admitted.

"Yeah, Lucas went on for a really long time about history and religion and all, but that part really stuck out to me. We all appreciate what you do here, Jima. You give what you can of yourself and really bring life to this ship...in more ways than one." Dalora complimented.

"Thank you, Dalora. I really appreciated that." Jima answered. She waved as Dalora left.

Feeling slightly better, Jima again looked at the genome model. She played it through from start to finish. Jima growled a little, knowing that there was something she was missing, there must be something extremely obvious that she was overlooking. She soon found herself glaring at the model, the virus images, the DNA genome, the jumble of words. Suddenly, something started to dawn on her.

"Wait...no...but yet, it all makes sense...If that's true though...then there's nothing we can do." Jima stated softly. If she had figured out what the writings and the model had said, then there was indeed nothing they could do. Nothing, unless...

Jima glanced at the image of the virus. Digging through a sample of the tissues she had extracted, she soon isolated a single Apollyon S3 virus under the lab's electron microscope. She scanned and studied every detail of the nanophage. She searched her mind for a similar shape. Somehow, she knew that there had to be a similar shape she had seen in her past. Her mind went back to what the data had said, what she thought it had said. If such was the case, there was no hope anymore, and yet...there was just the tiniest shred.

The last glimmer of hope that might as well have been swallowed up by darkness. Should she even bother? She decided she would. Jima opened a small tube in her environmental suit and plunged a syringe into it. She grunted in pain as she pulled back the plunger until the syringe was completely full of her own blood. She disappeared back into her lab.

A few hours later, she reemerged with another syringe, this one containing a different fluid altogether. Inside this last capsule was probably Nalia's last hope. Inside was a reaction of a life giving fluid, what precious little that fluid could respond with to a single deadly particle. It was Nalia's last hope at life, and probably would just push her off the brink of life anyway. However, it was her very last chance. It was also untested as there really was no way to test it. Drawing a deep breath to steady herself, Jima glanced down at the devastated, diseased face of Nalia under the nanite bath. She remembered that Quarian doctors would do anything and everything to save a life. It was a last hope, and that was all she needed to do it. Jima inserted the syringe into a tube and watched as the liquid flowed down the artificial vein and into the patient. From here on in, all what could be done was pray.


	36. Chapter 35

Talana sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it looked like everything would be coming to a close. They had pulled into the Citadel some time ago. A rather annoyed Dvoran Avalar was let off the ship, simply told that the mission was accomplished and that there was nothing left for him to do. Lucas had followed close behind him as he was told to immediately report to Alliance Command for debriefing. However, he was also suppose to meet with the rest of the crew for one final event. Julland glanced at him omni-tool timer.

"Well, I suppose we should all be going." Julland murmured. Suddenly, he and the Asari heard rapidly approaching footsteps. It was Dalora.

"Hey, come on, we're going to be late, we have to meet with the Council." Dalora announced. Merjj and Jima could be heard approaching right behind her. The excited mercenary went to join the Turian and Asari at the bridge but instead found herself navigating a minefield of Dolphos' tentacles which were sprawled all over the hallway.

"Dolphos, come on, we got to go." Dalora told the Hanar. The large jellyfish didn't answer.

"Dolphos?" Dalora asked, tapping the Hanar gently. Dolphos suddenly stirred.

"Hm? Oh, this one apologizes. It believes it must have fallen asleep." Dolphos stated, before collecting its many legs together and getting up off his chair.

"We all ready?" Julland asked the others.

"I believe so, we all look ready." Merjj observed.

"All right, lets go." the Turian agreed.

No one really said anything on the way to the Citadel tower. They really did not know what to discuss anyway. At least for the large space station, the daily grind of life went on in the hustling and bustling place. Apparently, few were concerned about any further outbreaks of the original Apollyon S1 strain. The _Shiloh_ crew had belatedly received the news that the medical team was able to finally sterilize the Central Bank environment, albeit by thorough dousing of extremely caustic chemicals, acids and radiation. All the furnishings needed to be redone and the place stripped before being rebuilt. It was a small price to pay to eliminate any chances of further outbreaks.

At the floor of the Council chambers, they spotted Lucas waiting for them. He had replaced his weapons and armor for the simple Alliance formal uniform and a long black overcoat.

"I thought you were all going to be late." Lucas told them with a slight smile.

"You're just always early." Dalora stated.

"How was your debriefing, Lieutenant?" Julland asked.

"No one yelled at me." Lucas responded sarcastically. Finally, Julland, Dalora, Lucas, Jima, Dolphos, Talana and Merjj stood before the Council. The Asari Councilor, having seen both the assault on the Citadel by Sovereign and now a biological attack, seemed to be getting weary of her position. Nonetheless, she started the meeting.

"We are all glad that you, the crew of the _SSV Shiloh_, were able to be present for this affair. We have read your reports and pondered hard on what you had to say. Your actions, beliefs and spirits are an inspiration in the face of the intimidating odds you all faced in the past week."

"However, there is still the matter to attend to of your old captain, Spectre Nalia D'sara." the Salarian Councilor cautioned.

"As well as to what is to become of her." the Turian one finished.

Standing in front of them, having been there before they were, was Nalia D'sara, triumphant if slightly battered. She still had her proud stand, if slightly bowed from her ordeal. Some areas of her body were blackened but slowly regaining their natural color. She had also lost a bit of weight and she knew she would need to spend a lot of time in the gym if she were to regain her former strength. It didn't help that her memory was a bit slower despite her mind slowly starting to unfog. Nonetheless, she was still able to flash one of her usual sickly sweet smiles, grinning always to the end like she knew she was in control. The Turian Councilor continued.

"Although we must thank you for your actions in pursuing the pirates, raiders and all the parties involved and responsible for finding, testing and planting the devastating Apollyon virus, we can not ignore your actions along the way."

"You are guilty of disobeying direct orders to not cross deep into Terminus Space. Your crew is also responsible for the unlawful act of taking another Spectre hostage." the Salarian reminded. The Asari now spoke up.

"However, in light of your stories as well as all that has happened, we hereby pardon your crew for their actions against Dvoran Avalar. You, Nalia D'sara, will not be sentenced with jail time."

"However, you are still stripped of your status as Spectre. Although your actions were honorable in context, they are not an example we would want followed by others. What you did made right this time, but that is not always the case. More painful consequences may have resulted from your actions. There was a time these deeds may have been overlooked. However, these times are no more. Our human colleague could tell you of what a rogue Spectre could do, and now Spectres are being held to a higher standard." the Turian stated.

"That being said, as well as in light of the current circumstances of Council Space, we pardon you, Nalia D'sara for your actions but we do not return your privileges as a Spectre. However, we are willing to grant the status you once had to a member of your crew that you so deem to be worthy of the Spectres." the Asari concluded. Nalia bowed, still a bit too weak to make a wise remark, no matter how bad she wanted to. Turning slowly, Nalia walked up to her crew members and surveyed them all.

There were a few she had foremost in her mind. They had fought by her side, perhaps gotten her out of tight situations, and she even admitted they had become her close friends. She also knew that they had saved her when she herself would not have done the same thing had she been in their shoes. She realized that perhaps there were a few things she needed to change in her attitudes, but only a few. She glanced with a smile at Julland, her friend before all of this started. Somehow, this decision was not as easy as she thought it would be. It took some thought, but she finally made up her mind. She turned around the address the Council.

"I nominate Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh to take my place as a Council Spectre." Nalia stated.

"Are you sure of this?" the Salarian Councilor asked. Before Nalia could answer, she felt her shoulder getting poked feverishly behind her. It was Jima.

"Nalia, what-why are you doing this?" Jima demanded in a whisper.

"Because I believe you would be an excellent Spectre." Nalia smirked. Unknown to them, Jima's eyes held very high, unbelieving eyebrows.

"Nalia, you must still not be well. I am not a soldier or officer. I am doctor. I heal, I don't fight or chase down criminals." Jima protested.

"Exactly Jima. You heal and bring life. For too long the Spectres have been agents of defense and war. These are necessary, but too few of them have had the training to preserve life. In these days when we know the threat of the Reapers, as well as a highly charged galaxy, we will need more Spectres like you who can heal and bring hope as your first skill and priority." Nalia explained, placing a comforting hand on the Quarian's shoulder.

"But...I don't have the training..." Jima whimpered.

"You will be, sweetie, don't worry. Besides, you will have the support of many skilled and tough people, some closer than you think." Nalia smiled, motioning a hinting hand towards Julland, Dalora and Lucas.

"Are you sure I can do this?" Jima asked quietly.

"Of course." Nalia consoled before addressing the Council again.

"Everything cleared, Miss D'sara?" the Turian asked.

"Yes sir. Jima will be taking my place." Nalia reassured. The Asari Councilor replied.

"Very well. Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh will now be inducted into the Spectres. Because of her experience dealing with Apollyon, she will trained back at Jartar where she will also assist Council agents in properly dealing with the remains of the Apollyon virus. This hearing of the Council, is adjourned." the Councilors turned to leave when they heard Nalia's voice interrupt.

"Well, thanks for the job, it was fun working with all of you." Nalia giggled before walking off. The Turian raised an eyebrow while the others shrugged.

Everyone gathered in the Presidium next to the artificial lake. "Highly charged" couldn't really describe the atmosphere. Regardless, it was Jima who was able to speak with Nalia first.

"Nalia, this doesn't feel right. The _Shiloh_ belongs to you."

"Jima, I am giving it to you. It's time there was a new trend in the Spectres and I believe you will set it. Like I said, don't worry. You've earned it." Nalia stated. Jima lowered her head for a moment in thought before looking up at Nalia again.

"Very well. It is rude to accept a gift, especially among my people. However, I would like to extend this one to you. You will always be welcomed to serve under the _Shiloh_ again." Jima informed. Nalia looked up thoughtfully, weighing the idea.

"Tell you what, I need to spend some time off to recuperate. I also could use a vacation, probably do some serious thinking as well. However, when that's done, you'll be the first I come to." Nalia smiled.

"I would love to have you back. Julland, I know you quit C-Sec as well as any intentions of returning to the military. I could use someone like you on my ship now. Are you interested?" the Quarian asked. Julland in turn responded with a bow.

"It would be an honor." Julland stated.

"What about you, Lucas? Dalora?" Jima asked. Lucas fidgeted a bit.

"Well, I've been transferred back to Jump Zero. Despite our work, it seems I've given the guys up top a lot of headaches. I'll be given a desk job there, maybe even work on of the flight patrols that guard the area. They tell me that my work in the field will be limited, though not completely wiped off." Lucas explained.

"Oh, I see..." Jima stated. Lucas leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"However, that will make it all the more easier to drop my superiors an excuse note for my absence."

"Ahhh...well then, I'll try not to bother you too much." Jima snickered before looking at Dalora. The mercenary smiled sheepishly.

"You know...I'll actually be easy to contact. I'm kind of putting mercenary work down. Turns out I got a job as an civilian mechanic. You could probably contact me if you ever need my help." Dalora stated.

"Really? I never could see you taking up honest work." Nalia teased. Dalora scowled at her.

"Where will you be working?" Jima asked.

"Jump Zero."

"Hey, my transport will be leaving in a bit and I best catch something to eat before I go. Military rations get stale after living off of them." Lucas stated. He bid them all good-bye, finishing off with the Asari.

"You sounded very philosophical back there. I didn't know you had it in you." Lucas teased.

"Hey, you're not the only one with training in making words sound pretty. We used to have similar intentions. I just got corrupted." Nalia smirked.

"Stay out of trouble, Nalia." Lucas told her after a friendly hug.

"Me, trouble? I tell you boy, you're the one that's going to be in trouble if you're going to be having that biotic following you." Nalia grinned. Dalora too, also hugged her before leaving.

"Keep him out of trouble...and make him loosen up." Nalia whispered to her.

"I'll try. In the meantime, you get better." Dalora told her. The two humans left the others, knowing that they would see them all again in time. Jima, Merjj, Talana and Dolphos also had to return to the _Shiloh_. Although they knew they would see her again, it was still hard saying farewell. It was Nalia who had personally handpicked each of them to join her ship and now they had to see her leave. Talana could not help but shed a few tears. Nalia would always be her favorite captain that she served under. It was also amusing to watch Dolphos wrap Nalia with a single, snake-like tentacle as a type of hug. Merjj meanwhile pumped her arm in a handshake with typical Salarian speed. Soon, it was just Nalia and Julland left standing next to the lake, both watching the fountains play ripples across the water. As usual, it was Nalia who spoke up.

"So, looks like you'll be having a full time job with a Spectre." Nalia observed.

"I guess. I think I'll enjoy it." Julland murmured.

"Oh stop that, you know you will." Nalia jabbed her elbow into his side. Julland managed a smile.

"What about you? What are your plans?" Julland asked. Nalia sighed as she continued to grin like she always did. The Turian liked her this way. After joining conscious with her mind, he realized that Nalia wasn't really a jerk, and didn't really like being one. She just got a power high whenever she was in command. She was a more pleasant person when she didn't need to throw her authority around.

"I don't know. I'll go home first. I need to sort out a few things." Nalia decided.

"Will you really return with us back on the _Shiloh_ when you're better?" Julland asked.

"Oh, I'm certain of it. Well, maybe I'll probably want to settle down, find a man to start a family with." Nalia smiled. Julland raised an eyebrow at her before scoffing.

"Nalia, I can't really see you as the type to settle down and have kids." Julland retorted.

"Oh come on, I won't be in my Maiden stage forever." Nalia defended. The Turian continued to stare at her, while crossing his arms skeptically across his chest. Nalia sighed.

"Who I'm kidding, you're right. I'm not that old yet. It will be some time till I'm better, though." Nalia whispered.

"Well, don't hurt yourself." Julland stated. Nalia smiled before playfully poking him in the stomach.

"Admit it, you'll miss me." Nalia teased.

"I will not!...okay, maybe I will..." Julland relented.

"How are things with Elana, anyway?"

"Well, her father still forbids we talk and although they've calmed down a bit in light of my actions, I'm still technically a source of shame to them. Elana still has not gotten around to talking to me." Julland explained.

"Ah, forget her. You deserve better. I'm sure you'll find the right Turian girl some day." Nalia stated.

"All in good timing." Julland stated. They grew silent again, watching the water. They listened to the lapping of the small waves, soothingly caressing the shore. Nalia patted her taller Turian friend on the back.

"Thanks for coming, I really appreciated it." she told him.

"No problem...though, you owe me." Julland told her.

"I suppose...dinner at Flux?" Nalia offered. Julland hesitated.

"...Sure."

* * *

_Data Entry_

_Dr. Jima'Riznah vas Shiloh: Head overseer of the formation of Gatekeeper Facility, charged with the objective of monitoring and guarding the location of the Apollyon virus cache and its study. _

_Uploading files..._

_It has been a month since the Apollyon crisis on the Citadel. Only a few weeks ago was the Gatekeeper facility completed and began the work of guarding the exact location of the Apollyon mine. So far, its location remains classified. Our studies into the virus have also been top secret. _

_The only known and recorded survivor of the Apollyon virus, Asari Nalia D'sara, survived due to extreme measures. The true reason for her survival is unknown. In the world of pathology, although this is rare, it is recorded of miraculous survivals for reasons beyond us. Modified Quarian antibodies injected into her system can not be verified to be the reason for her recovery. Even if they were the cause of her recovery, it may have only worked on the Apollyon S3 strain. _

_A total of nine hundred and eleven distinct strains of Apollyon were analyzed and cataloged. Several copies of each strain were also produced by the pre-Prothean race that engineered these viruses. We have been able to establish the reasons for their extreme measures taken in their programming of these viruses as well as their failure to produce any treatment or vaccine. _

_This race foresaw that the Reapers probably would not have come into contact with the virus the first time they passed. They may have even avoided a second or a third. It was hoped that in this event, the mine would eventually be swallowed by tectonic forces. At least several strains of the virus would have survived the extreme temperatures and eventually, they would be resurfaced back on the planet. In the wake of destruction, these viruses would be exposed to newly developing lifeforms. It was hoped that the either the virus would destroy this new life, forcing the Reapers to postpone their invasions, and perhaps eventually forcing them to capitulate due to lack of resources. It was also a possibility that the lifeforms would eventually evolve and take the virus or viruses into their genome. _

_This is not unheard of. Human DNA also contains long strands that may have once belonged to those of viruses that became incorporated into the overall human genetic blueprint. The same was hoped for Apollyon. If such a life form were to exist, it would be immune to the ill effects of the virus. It would also mean that the ultimate weapon against the Reapers would not be an implement of war, but something hidden within life itself. _

_To date, no life form is known that can withstand the rigors of the Apollyon virus. For now, many are skeptical if such an organism could exist. No genetic experiments or testing has been done or is planned to find out. Apollyon will remained buried and undisturbed as it had been for thousands, if not millions of years. _

_There are still dark rumors and quiet whispers that perhaps Apollyon has not been as contained as we have hoped. There is always a possibility that a stray virus or two of the S1 strain may exist in a dark corner or isolated space in the ventilation system of the Citadel or obscure passageway. There have been silent whispers of Keeper remains, all destroyed together trying to clean off the remains of other Keepers that mysteriously died in some less traveled areas of the Citadel. Extreme medical response teams in proper gear have handled the disposal of these finds, although officially, these stories are denied. _

_There is also the possibility that even a single viral strand hidden safely from the Dis sunlight, under a rock or other hiding place may exist outside this facility on Jartar. All it would take is one virus and one exposure. With that, the crisis could begin anew. _

_Officially, and to the best of our knowledge, Apollyon remains buried and undisturbed..._


	37. Epilogue

Epilogue

Three medical students, a Human, Asari and Salarian stood around the facility's main VI link. The facility staff was especially proud of this one VI. Despite the limitations on a VI being able to communicate and simulate a realistic discussion, this one certainly was skilled. This particularly VI, who responded to "Sholmet," stimulated such traits as sarcasm, concern, determination even a sense of humor. Sholmet was not self aware, but it certainly seemed like a much beloved staff member in the lab. The Asari spoke first.

"I can not believe that such a thing could happen on the Citadel. Yet, it seems like it is still very much remembered here, despite the few centuries that has passed since then." the Asari stated. Sholmet, an image of a young human male, nodded in agreement.

"It has indeed been a long time, but it is also the worse biological attack on the Citadel here. The Apollyon virus is cited in many medical textbooks, including your own. It is also used as model in many biological warfare military training exercises." Sholmet informed.

"Thank you for the information, Sholmet. You have been most helpful." the Salarian thanked.

"You are most welcome."

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to them?" the human, a young female asked.

"Them? Are you referring to the people related to the story?" Sholmet asked.

"Yeah, like Vink Horlorn, Dr. Jima and all the others." the woman asked. Her colleagues nodded in agreement.

"Vink Horlorn was never brought to justice for his involvement in the Apollyon crisis. He lived his life as the CEO of the Elkoss Combine before dying in obscurity. Dr. Jima completed her training, as well as her work at the Gatekeeper facility, exact location classified. She is said to have served as an excellent Spectre and is rumored to have been cited for several decorations." Sholmet informed.

"How about Lucas and Dalora? Whatever became of them?"

"Lieutenant Lucas Von Seraph spent the next ten years serving with the Alliance, mostly as a chaplain at Jump Zero. When he wasn't doing that, or flying in space patrols or being sent to several minor conflicts as an infiltrator, he was working with Spectre Jima. After ten years, he retired to civilian life. Dalora Algre worked as a mechanic and security guard at Jump Zero. She is also rumored to have served with Spectre Jima on numerous occasions."

"Did those two ever get married?" the human interrupted curiously. The image of Sholmet folded his arms and smirked.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

"Well, you never know, something might have happened..."

"Ooh, you got to love drama and mystery. You may go look up the files yourself." Sholmet teased. The Salarian also had further questions.

"And Julland, Talana, Merjj and Dolphos?"

"They all served faithfully and without spot to Spectre Jima for the duration of her service to the Council. They all must have retired to quiet lives, since there is little in the records about them afterwards."

"And Nalia?" the Asari asked. The VI image smiled a bit.

"Matriarch Nalia D'sara chooses to live a quiet life back on her home planet. She is recognized as one of the longest living Asari Matriarchs, and is also considered one of the wisest. Her writings and stories of her life are among the best selling in the Galaxy." Sholmet revealed. One of the students hesitated.

"You know, you never mentioned what happened to Captain Methalos." the human observed.

"There are no official records as to what happened to the raider captain." the VI admitted.

The students remained for a small chat with the witty and engaging program before going off to complete their reports. Sholmet faithfully helped the visitors to the facility until closing time. The image of the human seemed to sigh during the after hours which were dark and lonely when the facility was empty. However, it still held a smile, as if it knew a secret. In fact, the official records on Methalos did not exist, but that didn't mean his story was lost to history.

The transition from man to machine is a slow process. It started with the pirate's arm and then eye. Eventually, as more injuries were sustained, more parts of his body became mechanized. In the years that passed, he soon retired to a quiet life. However, in one last daring journey, he went to make his mark on history.

Deep within the bowels of the VI terminal, was its central neural net, surrounded by its auxiliary memory units. It was this central net that the VI drew on its in-depth character and personality. However, one day, no matter how well the preservation of this unit was, it would one day cease to exist, as is what is meant for all physical things. When that happened, the depth, wit and personality to Sholmet would end, and it would become another typical VI unit. However, when that occurred, a preprogrammed order would go out, and alter the dialog should anyone ask the question again of what happened to the elusive Captain Methalos. Sholmet smiled as he thought on what their reaction would be. In the quiet, empty lab, the VI is sometimes heard to whisper.

"Like I care how soon they find out..."

* * *

_Author's Note:_ _Well, here is the end of Retrovirus. I put up the last chapters all at once so that there would be no confusion and that there would be no waiting time, especially when the chapters started to wind down. Feel free to look for symbolism and themes, I did intentionally put certain numbers, words and themes for reasons. The downside is that yes, some things may have become stereotypical, but I guess I'll have to get better at that. I am thinking about a sequel, so if any of you enjoyed this, and have ideas or comments on how to improve or what you would like to see if I do come out with a sequel, feel free to leave a message. _

_Special thanks to those who gave advice and input. You know who you are. It greatly contributed to the improvement of this story. _


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